Fate and Destiny
by Durandall
Summary: As inexorable as the destruction of a star, a ponderous Destiny draws closer to completion, even as Fate lies sleeping.
1. Prologue: From Memory to Dream

Fate and Destiny: Prelude  
  
From Memory to Dream  
  
  
Disclaimer: The paints (A!MG) are the property of Kousuke  
Fujishima, the easel is mine, and that's all.  
  
Notes: It's an alt, as should become apparent shortly, since  
I've read most of the U.S. manga, seen some of the OAVs, and not  
watched the movie.  
  
------------------------------  
  
A flash of light. Her older self knew what that meant, and  
she raised her hammer in a warding position, invoking her own  
protective magics.  
  
The spell fizzled harmlessly against her protection, and she  
peered about her, the swirling mists of time only parting to her  
future sight. Behind her, her sisters stared about. The eldest could  
see through the past, and the middle could see through the  
present...  
  
Together they were able to see, and even then, they were  
safe. The Lady was with them, and as long as the Lady was there, the  
three sisters would always be safe. Nothing could hurt the Lady,  
except...  
  
The mists parted, her sisters' shared sight warning her, and  
she threw all of her attention and power to shielding, while the  
eldest sister waited, and the middle attacked. A lone enemy, unable  
to stand against the united forces.  
  
She was felled quickly, left to lie prone, quivering, and  
unable to control her drifting through the void. "Justine..." she  
whispered. "Des-" the rest she choked off, closing her eyes and  
allowing her tears to drift.  
  
As if bidden, a cloaked figure emerged from the chaotic  
swirling mists, scowling darkly at the Lady. The cloaked figure said  
nothing, sweeping up his fallen servant, and kissing her gently on  
the forehead, his lips brushing against the demon mark on her face.  
"Rest easy, small one. Quit this field, and thy sisters. I shall  
stand. It is..." his lips quirked in a sardonic grin, as he glanced  
at the Lady.  
  
***  
  
And in a house, a much younger girl stirred, shivering  
uncomfortably at some passing dream, quickly fading as she fell into  
a deeper, dreamless slumber.  
  
***  
  
...fallen. The bitch had finally been beaten. She longed for  
nothing more than to destroy her, but knew that it was wrong to do  
so... and even had it been right, the doublet system made such  
impossible, lest she wanted to destroy her allies. Sister, they had  
called her...  
  
She wrenched her attention to the enemy, as he comforted the  
fallen. "It is... my Destiny."  
  
He turned his attention to her. "You," he said slowly. "What  
name you wear this time... you should not have interfered. You  
should not have run from me, and joined their side."  
  
She stiffened, shaking her head. "I did what was right, and  
just."  
  
He sneered at her, his aura flaring darkly to conceal the  
demoness' escape. "'Right', you say, and 'just'. Fah. Destiny is  
Destiny, and _I_ shall not be thwarted." He spared a momentary  
glance towards the youngest of the sisters. "You, too, shall see."  
  
***  
  
In the house, shared with her younger sisters, a woman  
murmured softly to herself, not wanting to acknowledge the dream  
until it passed.  
  
***  
  
She said nothing, simply holding herself at the ready. She  
did not trust the Lady's brother, even if the Lady was certain that  
she would win. "Sister, dearest," he said mockingly, sneering at the  
Lady, of equal height to himself. "There is no chance... thou cans't  
hope to defeat me."  
  
Licking her lips nervously, she glanced between her sisters,  
the youngest standing bravely to her right, and the eldest to her  
left. Not truly a sister, she knew, but she had joined them,  
deserting the man before them and turning the tide of battle.  
  
The Lady behind her spoke softly, her voice lyrical and  
smooth, "Brother dearest... thy fell minions are no more upon this  
field. Thou must realize... thou have lost."  
  
He smirked. "Indeed. It was... Fated. But it is of no  
consequence. For now, _I_ shall win."  
  
***  
  
Shivering herself out of her dream, another woman sat up,  
trying to push away the half-remembered instance, and the weaker  
memories that followed it. Perhaps she should see that her sisters  
were resting well, and then...  
  
***  
  
"Brother!" she insisted, staring directly at him, her lesser  
goddesses arrayed before her protectively. To shield her from  
attack, he knew, but...  
  
"What?"  
  
"Be you so petty? The King should not have been allowed to  
die there. Why must you always kill him before he is allowed to  
fulfill his Fate?"  
  
He shook his head. "He was -- and is -- the Once and Future  
King. It was his Destiny to die. He will always be reborn to try  
again."  
  
"But it was his Fate to change the world!" she cried out.  
  
He tired of listening to them. "It is of no import. You have  
interfered with me, and by the Great Rule, I promise you this; I  
will destroy you in every way that I can as retribution for what  
comes next." And with that, he gathered the very stuff of the  
chaotic sea that surrounded them, and flung it with all his might at  
her.  
  
***  
  
He sat up suddenly, soaked in sweat, not able to remember  
the dream, and shivered uncomfortably anyway.  
  
A soft knock came at his door a mere moment later, and a  
soft voice asked him if he were well.  
  
***  
  
She was only able to stare in astonishment as he attacked.  
Such an act was foolish beyond belief -- the combined might of the  
three sisters was easily enough to weather any attempt he could  
make.  
  
They cried out as one, uniting themselves, and his spell  
touched upon their shield, pushing, but their combined will was  
greater, and it rebounded to strike him instead. He took the blast,  
laughing softly as the force unmade him, scattering his essence into  
the sea of chaos.  
  
"Oh, no!" the sisters exclaimed, turning to stare at her  
worriedly, as she felt herself beginning to unravel.  
  
"Brother," she whispered, feeling herself come apart. "Why?"  
But the doublet system was too strong to resist, and everything  
began to fade... The two were as one, and then...  
  
Nothing.  
  
***  
  
She sat up quickly, scratching the back of her head and  
looking around warily. The dream was quickly fading, but...  
"Keiichi?" she mused, wondering if she should call her brother.  
  
------------------------------ 


	2. Part One: Dormio Animus

Fate and Destiny: Part One  
  
Dormio Animus  
  
  
Disclaimer: The paints (A!MG) are the property of Kousuke  
Fujishima, the easel is mine, and that's all.  
  
Notes: It's an alt, as should become apparent shortly, since  
I've read most of the U.S. manga, seen some of the OAVs, and not  
watched the movie.  
  
------------------------------  
  
"Keiichi?"  
  
He nodded, pulling the blanket further up around his waist  
as Belldandy smiled at him gently, placing a tray with a warm pot of  
tea and a pair of cups on the floor.  
  
He scooted to one side, making room for her. She took a seat  
nearby, leaving the hall light on, and door ajar, but the main light  
off. Blinking away the confusion and fatigue, he tried to focus on  
her. She was clearly defined in her bedclothes, with the light  
behind her, only turning soft and indistinct where the illumination  
was not shining on her... but she was familiar nonetheless. "Thank  
you, Belldandy... Why are you awake?"  
  
She shook her head, sitting on his futon carefully, and  
poured a measured cup of tea for Keiichi. "I... had a bad dream. I  
was hoping you wouldn't mind..."  
  
Keiichi's heart skipped a beat, and he managed a soft laugh.  
"Ah, no problem. What was the dream about?"  
  
Her eyes become distant, staring at a point in the darkened  
corners of Keiichi's room as she pressed the warm teacup into his  
hands. "It was... something that happened a long time ago, Keiichi.  
Something that happened before this incarnation."  
  
He sipped at the tea -- Belldandy's normal excellence easily  
apparent when he tasted it -- and put a hand atop hers, his heart  
jumping again as he did so. The memory of the last time they had  
kissed was clearer in his mind than any half-remembered dream.  
"Incarnation?" he asked, driving away the thoughts of kissing. Now  
was not the time for that...  
  
She nodded, her eyes fixed on some faraway point. "Yes... My  
sisters and I were alive long ago, but we're also fairly young.  
Before we became what we are now, we had prior incarnations." She  
pursed her lips thoughtfully, parting them to sip absently at her  
own tea. Setting her teacup on the floor, and shifting her position  
to face Keiichi, she said, "It's not important, I suppose... I just  
like to be with you when something troubles me." She smiled  
endearingly, and Keiichi tried to force down the grin he felt  
building. She always knew just what to say to make his worries  
pass... if only he could do the same for her.  
  
He tightened his grip on her hand, leaning towards her  
seriously. "Belldandy, if there's ever anything you need, just ask  
me, okay? If there's anything I can do..." he trailed off, seeing  
the way her face lit up at those words, and she seemed to simply...  
glow.  
  
One hand went to her lower lip, as though she was half-  
trying to hide her own smile. "Keiichi," she said warmly. "Thank  
you. Just you being there is enough for me..." Keiichi smiled once  
more, ignoring a sudden feeling of apprehension. As long as they had  
each other...  
  
***  
  
The wind whistled across the empty lot, tossing loose trash  
and papers about, but Keiichi's attention was elsewhere. Things were  
in a constant state of flux. Something was going to happen.  
  
That much was a given. He'd led an odd life even before  
Belldandy had come onto the scene.  
  
It had escalated in oddity as time progressed, with three  
goddesses living under the same roof with him, and he didn't really  
expect it to stop anytime soon. But behind the constant chaos that  
he expected to dog him until his eventual grave, he wanted to take  
things another step with Belldandy.  
  
Megumi had spent a long hour some months ago suggesting very  
plainly that he needed to 'make a move' on the goddess, lest he lose  
her... And that didn't seem to be right, to him. When he seriously  
considered, it just... didn't feel right, yet. He needed something  
more, before he could do that, and it had come to him when he was  
filing one edge of a washer in the machine shop earlier that day.  
  
He spent a long minute staring at the washer dumbly before  
its true significance hit him.  
  
He wanted to marry Belldandy.  
  
He stumbled to his knees right there in the empty lot, his  
bike a few paces away, as the enormity of the thought nearly bowled  
him over anew. He wanted to marry her.  
  
Stifling a laugh, he shook his head, staring heavenward.  
"What am I thinking?" he asked himself. Could he marry her? Want to,  
certainly, but... she was a goddess, and he was just... He cut that  
line of thought short. She loved him. He knew, as easily as he could  
admit to himself, at least, that he loved her.  
  
But marriage? He'd have to ask her, first... and that was  
the stumbling block he hit. Could he? He had lived with her for so  
long... what would truly be changed?  
  
They'd share a single room instead of separate rooms. That  
realization made him wonder. Aside from the other intimacies that it  
entailed, so little would change... They were already so close.  
"Yeah," he mumbled stumbling to his feet again. "Just gotta ask  
her."  
  
He shook his head, climbing onto his bicycle, and starting  
the engine. But first... he would need a ring. A ring worthy of her,  
and that would entail money, which he had precious little of.  
Perhaps he could ask Megumi for help or ideas...  
  
A smile grew on his face as he headed towards the temple he  
shared with the sisters. An excuse to invite Megumi over should be  
simple, and then to ask her a few questions while they were alone...  
and maybe a trip with her to pick the ring out...  
  
He snapped his attention to the road as he narrowly missed  
hitting a stone barrier, and berated himself. Safety first; he could  
worry about the ring later.  
  
***  
  
"Keiichi?" Megumi smiled inwardly, cradling the receiver  
against her ear as she poked at the stove in an attempt to make it  
function. It was gas, and she was reasonably sure she understood  
what it was supposed to do, but it was not working, and she couldn't  
cook without it... She grumbled an obscenity beneath her breath as  
her hand slipped, and she scraped her fingers painfully on the edge  
of the stove.  
  
"Humph. Nice to hear from you again, too, Megumi."  
  
"Keiichi!" she grumbled. "I'm trying to fix my stove!"  
  
"Oh, um... Sorry. I was wondering if you were busy, I need  
to talk to you about something..." There was an odd note of hope in  
his voice, and Megumi rolled her eyes, jabbing at some obstruction  
deep within the bowels of the stove. The note of hope spelled out  
'hopelessly in love' to her trained ears. She couldn't imagine what  
kind of problem he would be having with Belldandy... except for the  
slow pace that their relationship moved at.  
  
"Ah," she said, smirking as she abandoned the non-functional  
device for a moment to walk to the small chair at the opposite end  
of the phone's reach. "Finally got her pregnant?"  
  
"MEGUMI!" she drew the phone away from her ear, smirking. "I  
DID--" his voice cut off, and she moved the receiver to her ear to  
barely make out a muffled noise as Keiichi mumbled to someone else.  
When he returned, his voice was much lower. "Megumi, I haven't...  
done anything like that with her yet."  
  
Megumi tossed her hands up in the air, not remembering that  
she was holding the phone in one, and the screwdriver in the other.  
"You're pathetic-- ooops!" She dove for the phone, ignoring the  
screwdriver for the moment, and caught the receiver moments before  
it crashed to the floor. "Keiichi," she restated, righting herself  
to sit on the floor, "you're hopeless. I think I know what you want  
to talk about. No one's ever tried with me, but I've got a pretty  
good idea of what a girl wants." She smirked to herself, hearing her  
brother groan. "Anyway, I'll come over tomorrow, okay?"  
  
"Um... Okay. Tomorrow works fine."  
  
Megumi frowned absently, realizing that the screwdriver was  
missing. "Ah, dangit."  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Huh?" Megumi tucked the phone between her ear and shoulder,  
as she searched the stove area for the screwdriver. "Ah, there it  
is. The screwdriver went behind the stove."  
  
Keiichi's voice spoke volumes of worry. "How are you going  
to fix a stove with a screwdriver?"  
  
"Oh, you know, they use all kind of tools," she murmured,  
her hands reaching behind the stove to search for the hint of red  
plastic handle she had glimpsed. "Just using this to poke around...  
Ah. Got it. Now..." she tugged experimentally at the handle,  
noticing only a very slight give. "Anyway, I was using this to try  
and scrape off some of the gunk on the pipes... how do these things  
get so dirty, anyway?"  
  
"I don't know. Be careful, okay, Megumi?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah..." she grumbled, giving the handle one powerful  
tug, freeing it with a muffled cracking noise, and holding the  
screwdriver proudly. "Hah!" she proclaimed. "Got it!" Keiichi said  
nothing, providing the silence she needed to hear a very faint  
hissing noise from the back of the stove.  
  
She frowned, dropping the screwdriver to peer over the edge  
behind the appliance. The cutoffs for the gas were a little lower  
than the upper level, and she gave the back of the stove one strong  
yank, granting her a few inches of additional clearance to reach  
them as it slid forward slightly. Grumbling, she stretched over the  
stove, grasping one handle, and straining to turn it. "Damn thing is  
stubborn..."  
  
"Megumi?" Keiichi's voice carried an entirely different kind  
of worry. "What's going on?"  
  
"Ah," she muttered, "nothing, just a gas leak. Going to turn  
off the valve..."  
  
"Megumi!" Keiichi nearly yelled. "Be careful!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah," she muttered, grunting as the handle refused  
to turn. Sighing in exasperation, she muttered, "Hang on, I'll be  
right back," before setting the phone down.  
  
Climbing onto the stove for better leverage, one of her feet  
nudged the small dial on the burner from 'off' to 'high'. She  
ignored it for a moment, since the stove was broken, and placed both  
of her hands on the small handle for the gas valve. She grunted,  
feeling her body slowly warming with the exertion, and gradually  
started to worry more, the less the handle turned.  
  
Jumping down from the stove, she grabbed her largest pipe  
wrench, grinning to herself. "I'll get you, pesky little--" the rest  
of her words stuck in her throat, as the nearest burner inexplicably  
sparked, lighting itself up and throwing gigantic gouts of flame  
towards the ceiling. She moved a half-step towards the stove, when a  
secondary cracking noise reached her ears, and the hissing suddenly  
increased from a subtly annoying sound, to a horrifically loud one.  
  
***  
  
"Megumi," Keiichi warned over the phone, "this isn't funny.  
Megumi? Megumi!"  
  
He distantly heard her voice in the background, as he  
strained to make out her words, "... pesky little--" The rest of the  
speech was cut off with a decidedly worrisome rushing noise,  
followed by an increase of static. Not even pausing to think, he  
dropped the telephone, running full tilt towards his bicycle,  
shouting, "Megumi!"  
  
The goddesses merely had time to blink as he thoughtlessly  
vaulted over the table in the front room, sliding across the final  
tatami mat to land roughly in his shoes. From there, a precarious  
leap across the stairs, and then a quick dash, and he was halfway  
down the street before he remembered starting his bike, the sidecar  
empty beside him.  
  
Heart racing, the streets passed in a blur of confused  
lights and faint screeching tire sounds, until he skidded to a  
sudden halt before her apartment. Thick smoke and flames obscured  
the upper levels, rolling out in great, billowing clouds. He vaulted  
from the motorcycle, ignoring a sharp pain in his ankle as he  
charged up the stairs, sliding past a startled woman and a pair of  
wailing children. "Megumi!" he yelled, shocking himself when he  
collided with a badly singed and coughing girl at the top of the  
landing.  
  
She latched onto him, whimpering, "Keiichi?"  
  
He nodded, gathering her up in his arms and stumbling down  
the steps. "Ugh," he said, not thinking about his words as he  
navigated the slowly smoke-filling stairwell, "you're heavy!"  
  
She coughed, still clinging to him, wearing an oddly serene  
smile as she shook her head. "Thanks... Keiichi..." With that, she  
seemed to fall limp, breathing uneasily and coughing slightly, until  
he had managed to wrestle her unresisting form into the motorcycle's  
sidecar. He turned back to face the building, and it seemed to...  
shudder... for a moment, the power of the conflagration suddenly  
increasing tenfold, making all of the windows shatter as the fire  
greedily sucked in more air.  
  
Keiichi shook his head dumbly, hearing the faint keen of  
approaching sirens, and decided that getting Megumi to the temple,  
and the goddesses, was the most important thing for the time.  
  
***  
  
Skuld poked at her invention angrily. The latest Banpei  
model had increased functions, though she had -- as much as it  
galled her -- actually toned down the 'anti-perversion' measures.  
She sighed, patting it on the head before turning her attention to  
her sisters. It wasn't Banpei's fault, after all.  
  
Urd lounged in a seemingly indolent manner, her eyes  
occasionally tracking from the television to Belldandy, then  
resolutely back. The youngest of the sisters had a firm suspicion  
that Urd was feeling vaguely guilty over something or another.  
Possibly the continued mooching off of Keiichi, but it could have  
been something else, too.  
  
Pulling her attention away from Urd to Belldandy, Skuld  
intently studied the woman's worried expression. Keiichi didn't  
normally have a habit of leaping over the table screaming his  
sister's name and then taking off faster then she'd ever seen him  
move before. Some circumstance had motivated the boy beyond anything  
she was aware of short of her sister being in dire peril.  
  
Belldandy was clearly troubled by it as well. And what to do  
about that?  
  
Keiichi chose that moment to stagger into the house, his  
clothing soot-stained, carrying the prone form of his sister in his  
arms. He grimaced, stepping forward gingerly as Megumi coughed,  
still apparently unconscious. "Sorry," he apologized, apparently  
hoping to dismiss his hasty departure, and casting about the room  
absently. "Um... there was a fire at Megumi's apartment."  
  
Before Skuld, or even Urd, could react, Belldandy was at his  
side, helping Keiichi ease his sister to the floor. "Keiichi," she  
said softly, her voice calm and in control, "you must lie down,  
you've hurt yourself."  
  
Grimacing, he sat at Megumi's side, watching the girl  
worriedly. Belldandy sighed noiselessly, placing her hands atop  
Megumi's and murmuring quietly. Keiichi shook his head, wiping  
absently at Megumi's singed clothing. "This is so weird," he  
murmured. "I hope everything's okay..."  
  
Belldandy offered him a sweet smile, as a soft, warm glow  
began to suffuse her, flowing into the unconscious girl. "Don't  
worry, Keiichi. Everything will be okay." She released Megumi's  
hands, the girl now breathing more easily. "You've hurt your ankle,  
Keiichi... Let me look at it."  
  
He managed a jerky nod, seeming to be partially in shock.  
Urd found her wits first, striding to Keiichi's side to peer at he  
and his sister, then shook her head. "Keiichi... what happened?"  
  
Shrugging, while Belldandy inspected his ankle gingerly, he  
explained slowly, as though unsure of his words, "I was talking to  
her on the phone about something, and then she said something about  
a gas leak... and I don't remember... everything kind of blurred...  
Next thing I know, I found Megumi in her apartment, and there was a  
lot of smoke." He shivered suddenly, as Belldandy's hands began to  
glow, the light seeming to seep into him, though the expenditure  
left her woozy.  
  
Keiichi managed a thin smile. "Don't worry, Bell-chan...  
I'll be fine." Yawning, he climbed to his feet, staggering towards  
his room. "I need... to lie down for a bit."  
  
Belldandy nodded, steadying herself against the floor with  
one hand. "Urd," she asked after a moment, recovering some of her  
strength, "can you please help me take Megumi to Keiichi's room?  
I'll let her borrow my futon. I think she will want to be near her  
brother when she wakes."  
  
Urd nodded, sharing a glance with her youngest sister before  
gesturing absently, causing the young Morisato to levitate. "Go  
ahead and get the futon moved, okay, Skuld?"  
  
Coming back to her senses from their extended absence, she  
rose, scampering to Belldandy's room to retrieve her futon and move  
it into Keiichi's room, barely laying it next to Keiichi's futon --  
and Keiichi's already prone form, collapsed as he was in his still  
smoke-marked clothing -- before Urd arrived with Keiichi's sister.  
Megumi's own clothing was singed, badly, and it gave Skuld a moment  
to wonder at how bad the fire was, to damage her clothing so much,  
and her so little.  
  
Belldandy followed, too weak to do much herself, and merely  
ordered the other two about, quickly stripping the unconscious girl  
and redressing her in a pair of Keiichi's older pajamas.  
  
Urd nodded in satisfaction, crossing her arms beneath her  
chest. "He can change himself when he wakes up... unless Belldandy  
wants to do it," she finished with a smirk.  
  
The middle sister colored faintly at those words, and shook  
her head. "I need to rest, Urd, Skuld. I'm going to lie down for a  
while... don't wake either of them, please."  
  
The eldest and youngest sisters nodded dourly, helping  
Belldandy from the room. Urd shot a glance laden with meaning over  
Belldandy's head at Skuld. "Belldandy, why don't you rest in my  
room? We'll get an extra futon later." She nodded, allowing herself  
to be led to her eldest sister's room, while Skuld simply stalked  
into the living room to mull things over. This seemed vastly  
different from the normal occurrences for their household.  
  
Unbidden, a memory returned, causing her to shiver. She  
wouldn't want to follow up on it without asking Urd, and she  
couldn't do it alone... "Oh, no," she whispered softly.  
  
***  
  
Urd drummed her fingers against the table softly. "So..."  
she began slowly, thinking of the pair of unconscious Morisatos, and  
her sleeping sister. "What do you think?"  
  
Skuld stared at the table before her, thinking. "I think...  
I can remember..." she said, concentrating. "But it's too far past.  
I can't name him without risking... or the Lady. If we name her..."  
she fell silent, scowling at the table.  
  
Unable to help herself, Urd smiled softly. "True enough."  
The smile faded quickly. "If it is him, and he is back... what do  
you think he would do?"  
  
Skuld scowled, crossing her arms unhappily. "Well," she  
began thoughtfully, "he said he would destroy us, somehow... I think  
it's obvious. He'll kill the Once and Future King again."  
  
Urd nodded at that. "You're right. It's what he does. We...  
we need to check in Yggdrasil to be sure... But that's something  
that's governed by... The Lady."  
  
"And him," Skuld chided. "But if he _is_ back, then so is  
_she_. The doublet system would make it so."  
  
"But I didn't feel a single trace of his power..."  
  
***  
  
She shivered, cold and alone. Abandoned by her sister  
unfairly in two incarnations. Abandoned by her master, even as he  
had willingly unmade himself. Alone.  
  
The abyss echoed as emptily as it had since he had quit this  
reality, when she had fled, tears streaking down her face, hot  
burning shame trailing her cheeks as she left the void and came  
here. And now she was 'home' again, sulking amongst the ruins of  
what had been his palace, along among the demonic spider webs and  
ancient dust.  
  
Poorly remembered crumbling monuments to victory, heroes  
destroyed to spite the foe from her master's eternal conflict.  
  
And unbidden, the tears came again. How cruel, how unfair  
that all of the love that Belldandy felt was echoed so hollowly  
through her, her partner in the doublet system. She giggled harshly  
at that. Demons weren't supposed to know who their partners were,  
anymore than the gods and goddesses were. But she knew. The entire  
thing was too neat and orderly to be any other way, and once she was  
aware of it, the link assaulted her.  
  
Belldandy loved... loved so much, and it hurt, hurt so much  
more to be alone and unloved still, with her own master hundreds of  
years and more gone. And slowly building, consuming her from within,  
the ancient anger welled up. But she could no more destroy Belldandy  
then she could destroy herself, and her master's final, parting kiss  
had left her with the message that he _would_ return, even if he  
only had one servant left to him, and his sister had three.  
  
She mulled over that for a moment, when an echo... a  
strain... a mere glimmering of her master's power resonated through  
the air, sending her to her knees to shake weakly with barely  
contained hope, joy... things that a demoness should never be able  
to feel.  
  
But she knew that it was so. She loved her master.  
  
And at long last, he was returning. "Destiny," she whispered  
softly, her black wings folding around herself in a vain wish for a  
hug. "Destiny, Master... you've returned," she whispered again into  
the bleak darkness that surrounded the ruined palace, already  
seeming brighter and more neatly repaired in her eyes, tinged with  
hope.  
  
"Oh, Master... I will find you again!"  
  
***  
  
With that fateful invocation, subtle ripples were sent  
careening through the very fabric of reality itself, whispering  
across the spaces between its multiple levels, god and demon alike  
pausing to feel the changes that it warned of.  
  
***  
  
And in a temple, a brother and sister began to dream.  
  
------------------------------------- 


	3. Part Two: Suscitatio

Fate and Destiny: Part Two  
  
Suscitatio  
  
  
Disclaimer: The paints (A!MG) are the property of Kousuke  
Fujishima, the easel is mine, and that's all.  
  
Notes: It's an alt, as should become apparent shortly, since  
I've read most of the U.S. manga, seen some of the OAVs, and not  
watched the movie.  
  
------------------------------  
  
Belldandy had awoken first, Skuld and Urd staying up late  
into the night to whisper about something they refused to speak of  
to anyone else, leaving her to mind the house while everyone else  
recovered from the previous day's ordeal.  
  
Megumi remained asleep, as did Keiichi... though Keiichi  
should have been up, by Belldandy's reckoning. Still, it would be  
best were he to awaken with his sister, she decided. The girl would  
not want to be alone.  
  
***  
  
She called him... she called, she called, she called... such  
sweet longing, love, and devotion in her call, her essence so richly  
saturated with her feeling for him. Feelings that hurt the demonic  
to be near, but they could contain so easily...  
  
And yet he maintained his self-imposed slumber, despite his  
yearning to break free, to burst into the world and strike down his  
foes, to destroy them as he had long ago promised.  
  
If he were awake, then she would be, too. And his sister  
would need to remain yet asleep for his plan to work... So he slowed  
his awakening, and used what subtle manipulations he could to affect  
the world around him.  
  
The first, the key, which had worked as it should have...  
But more... the King would be slain, and he would spite his sister a  
final time, turning the tide and declaring a victory. Destiny before  
Fate, as always...  
  
***  
  
She was confused, tired... unable to force herself to wake.  
  
There was fire, and pain, and her very essence was _rent_  
asunder, cast to drift in the sea of chaos, and she could not  
wake...  
  
And then the sense of nearness to waking faded, leaving her  
to sink into dream again, and there was fire, smoke, and she was  
being smothered -- so very frightened of her brother...  
  
***  
  
Keiichi awoke to his sister's screams, groggily pushing back  
the thick veil that seemed to cloud his mind, and lay a hand on her  
shoulder. "Sis?" he asked, worriedly.  
  
She snapped awake, horror etched into her features as she  
stared up at him, finally melting into simply anxiety, as she threw  
herself at him, crying into his shoulder. "Bro..." she sniffled,  
unable to say anything beyond that except to sob for a long moment.  
  
He sighed, making a face at the scent of smoke, still in her  
hair. "It's okay, Megumi... it's okay. The fire's gone, and you're  
safe now."  
  
She quieted, pushing herself away slightly, and nodding.  
With a slight hiccup, she managed, "I'm sorry... I was so stupid...  
I shouldn't have... I'm sorry."  
  
Keiichi shrugged, rising, and moving to dig through his  
closet. "I... don't know. Don't worry about it too much, sis. I got  
a feeling that there's something there that's not your fault..." he  
mumbled for a moment, then tossed a pile of clothing at her feet.  
"Look... uh... why don't you take a bath, change clothes, and relax  
a bit. We'll figure out what happens next later, okay?"  
  
Climbing to her feet with a pair of Keiichi's old jeans and  
a T-shirt in hand, she nodded, staring at the floor as she trudged  
out of the room. The young man sighed, shaking his head. "Ooo...  
what next?"  
  
***  
  
Megumi stumbled her way into the temple's bathing area,  
unable to repress a certain knowledge that something was... off.  
Different, in some way.  
  
She couldn't place it, as much as she wanted to. Sighing,  
she dismissed the thought for the moment, turning her attention to  
the bizarre fire. "It's not right," she muttered to herself,  
stripping. "I know enough about these things to keep that from  
happening."  
  
As she began to scrub away the faint soot, she marveled that  
she emerged unscathed. Her breath came easily, and she couldn't find  
a single sign to prove the burns she remembered receiving earlier.  
"I know way more than enough to fix a stupid stove," she muttered,  
grabbing a bottle of shampoo and scrubbing her hair, working out the  
scent of smoke. "Bleah. What am I going to tell Mom and Dad?"  
  
Rinsing, she shook her head, wiping a stray bit of soap from  
her eyes. That was the only reason they would be tearing... not that  
she was going to cry over anything like that. No one was hurt, after  
all. Probably, at least. Only three or four people would be home at  
that time of day, and she remembered her fire alarm going off  
clearly.  
  
But...  
  
"Why? I shouldn't have been in danger from anything so  
stupid... why did Keiichi have to rescue me?"  
  
Dim and smoke-drowned memories of breaking down a neighbor's  
door came to her... freeing two children, and pushing them into the  
arms of another woman on her way out. That thought surfaced through  
the hazy morass of confusion.  
  
She smiled slowly, wrapping her arms about her shoulders.  
"At least Keiichi did save me," she murmured softly. "Even if it is  
kind of embarrassing."  
  
***  
  
Belldandy hummed quietly as she finished preparing  
breakfast. Keiichi had no school for the day, and considering what  
had happened the day before, doubted he should go even if there was.  
He probably would anyway, but she would have wished him to remain  
with her regardless.  
  
Skuld stepped into the kitchen cautiously, rubbing sleepily  
at her eyes. "Belldandy?" she asked. "Did you... feel what happened  
last night?"  
  
The elder sister shook her head, smiling at the younger. "I  
don't think so, Skuld. What happened?"  
  
For a long moment, Skuld seemed to struggle, finally simply  
shaking her head and turning away. "Nothing... nothing important."  
  
Belldandy pursed her lips thoughtfully. If something was  
amiss, she should know, too...  
  
***  
  
Urd paced in her room, having fallen asleep on the floor  
while Belldandy slept in her futon. But now that her sister was  
gone, she was awake, and alone with her thoughts. Skuld knocked at  
the door quietly, then let herself in. Urd ruffled the girl's hair,  
still in thought.  
  
"Hey!" The girl exclaimed, pushing Urd's hands away. "We  
don't have time for this!"  
  
Urd shook her head, sighing apologetically. "Sorry, you're  
right. What's the first thing we have to do?"  
  
Setting her hammer across her lap as she sat on the floor,  
Skuld considered. "We need to find the Once and Future King. We need  
to make sure that... he... doesn't interfere and destroy him."  
  
Skuld nodded solemnly, jumping to her feet when she heard a  
knock at the door. Urd frowned, gesturing. "Who is it?"  
  
"It's me," Keiichi's voice called out. "Belldandy said to  
tell you that breakfast was ready."  
  
Urd sighed, shaking her head. "After breakfast, we'll try  
and find him. If he's born yet, then probably one of the signs will  
be fulfilled."  
  
Skuld nodded again, still deep in thought as she slid the  
door open and walked past the confused Keiichi, still in his soot-  
marked clothes from the day before. "Is something wrong?" he asked.  
  
The sisters shared a glance, and shook their heads in  
unison. "No," Urd supplied. "Everything's fine so far."  
  
***  
  
Megumi eyed the clothes Keiichi had given her, then sighed,  
brushing her long hair behind her. It wasn't until she had pulled on  
the shirt he had given her that she realized...  
  
Her hair wasn't that long... With no small amount of  
trepidation she crept over to the large mirror in the bathroom, and  
stared with wide eyes. Her hair was long, easily past her waist now.  
She ran a hand with trembling fingers through the mass of hair that  
had been shorter before she had even got into the bath.  
  
But something simply felt... right... about it. Like it was  
supposed to be that way. Her fingers gathered up an abandoned hair  
tie from near the mirror, and affixed it with practiced ease.  
Practice she didn't have...  
  
Shivering, she dismissed it. Hair could be cut... and her  
life had been odd enough. Some fluke of some sort, not something she  
should worry about.  
  
Shaking her head, she finished pulling on Keiichi's clothes,  
and plodded back into the main area, where she could hear people  
talking faintly. Skuld and Urd sat on Keiichi's left, as he sat at  
the table in the main room, seemingly distracted and lost in  
thought. "Morning," she called out, and then again to Keiichi.  
"Morning, bro." After a moment, she stared at her feet, forgetting  
her hair for the moment, as the others seemed oblivious. "I'm  
sorry..."  
  
Keiichi shook his head, while Megumi sat at the very end of  
the table, seemingly trying to shrink in on herself. "It's okay,  
Sis'," he reassured her. "I have a little money saved up. How about  
we go shopping, and buy you some new clothes? If you lost all your  
stuff in the fire..." he trailed off, offering her a friendly smile.  
  
She bit her lip, nodding slowly. "I'm... sorry, Keiichi..."  
  
He waved a hand dismissively. "I'm sure everything will be  
just fine. Aside from which, you can stay here." He frowned  
thoughtfully. "We can pick up a futon for you later, and I guess  
you'll have to share a room... but you're welcome here."  
  
"Yes," Belldandy interjected before Megumi could respond.  
"You're always welcome here."  
  
Keiichi blinked, then scratched his head, frowning. "Wait a  
minute. What happened to your hair?"  
  
Megumi raised a hand to her head, and racked her fingers  
through the soft mass. "I... don't know..."  
  
Urd colored slightly, and whispered, "Oops..." More loudly,  
she asked, "Did you use my shampoo?"  
  
Megumi shrugged. "I thought I grabbed Keiichi's... but I  
don't remember."  
  
Keiichi waved it off. "It... suits you. Don't worry. Weird  
stuff like that always happens around here." He managed a hollow  
laugh, ending in a sigh. "Well, why don't we go ahead and do the  
shopping now? You can call Mom and Dad when we get back, okay?"  
  
She nodded slowly, still only able to stare at her feet.  
  
***  
  
Belldandy watched Keiichi lead his sister outside and  
towards the motorcycle, though she held her tongue until the sound  
of the bike's engine had receded. "Urd, Skuld... What's going on?"  
  
Urd and Skuld exchanged a wary glance, Skuld speaking first.  
"We think the Lady's come back."  
  
Glancing between her younger and older sisters, Belldandy  
nodded slowly. "Do you think that her brother is trying to hurt  
Megumi?"  
  
Urd shrugged. "He wants to hurt all of us. I bet he's going  
to go after Keiichi."  
  
Skuld looked askance at the darker-skinned goddess. "How is  
that supposed to hurt us?"  
  
Belldandy ignored the comment, as Urd absently swatted Skuld  
upside the head. "Anyway," Urd continued, "I think we should try and  
watch over him... and Megumi. Until we know who the Lady is. And we  
need to search for the Once and Future King, anyway."  
  
Skuld nodded, setting her hammer across her knees.  
"Remember," she said, "we outnumber him. It's just him, and... well.  
We should be able to find the King and protect him before _he_ can  
act."  
  
Urd frowned thoughtfully, noting, "Of course, now we have  
more people to watch over, so this could be harder... at least  
Yggdrasil is functioning, but if we use it..."  
  
Belldandy sighed, placing her hands on the wooden table  
before her. "Why don't we ask the earth spirit that lives in  
Megumi's apartment?" The other goddesses simply raised eyebrows at  
her statement, waiting for Belldandy to act. She smiled, murmuring,  
and closed her eyes, trying to reach out to contact it...  
  
She gasped, sitting forward and opening her eyes.  
"Yggdrasil!" she exclaimed, closing her eyes again. "The earth  
spirit... his file is sealed, and I can't reach him!"  
  
Urd frowned, glancing at Skuld briefly. "Who sealed it?"  
  
"It says..." Belldandy's eyes opened, and she sighed,  
shaking her head. "It's sealed by Mara. And the note says... says  
that it's sealed in the name of her master."  
  
Urd shivered suddenly, rubbing at her arms. "Oh," she said  
softly. "That's the only way she could seal something in Yggdrasil,  
anyway. We have a problem. Skuld? Can you turn Banpei on?"  
  
The youngest sister nodded, scampering away to do just that,  
and leaving Belldandy alone with Urd for the moment. "Are you  
afraid, Urd?"  
  
She shook her head, smiling. "No, just remembering... when I  
left him. But I'm not going back. Don't worry about that."  
  
Belldandy smiled encouragingly at her. "You'd still be our  
sister, Urd."  
  
***  
  
Mara struggled back through the layers of reality beyond her  
home, forcing back layer upon layer of restriction, until she was  
close enough... And was left merely needing to be summoned.  
  
No time to play, she told herself, pressing against the  
barrier alongside her fellow demons. No time to try and extract  
petty vengeance. It was time for blood. For revenge. The marks that  
would scar, not merely hurt. She simply needed to push, and be  
summoned...  
  
***  
  
Sakakibara Shiho muttered to herself, holding her hands over  
the circle she had drawn on the floor.  
  
She would drive the demons out. This time.  
  
She would completely eradicate them. This time.  
  
She had even gotten all of the symbols right. She hoped.  
  
She had come to realize, however, slightly less success with  
each attempt, and the young couple behind her, hoping she could  
exorcise the house, was slowly becoming impatient. Taking a deep  
breath, she focused herself. This time, she would get it right. She  
called the words softly, seeming to simply spring from a place deep  
inside her mind, coming to her more easily then ever before.  
  
She exalted inwardly. This time for sure! The symbol on the  
floor suddenly flared to life, intense white light rolling off of  
the symbol to flood the room, blinding in its brilliance. The center  
of the symbol seemed to buckle, something from deep within  
distorting the space nearby as it emerged. And emerge it did, in all  
of its brilliance.  
  
A statuesque blonde with confounding facial markings, a  
toothy grin, and a pair of frightening black wings framing her well-  
proportioned body. "You called me," she whispered, hovering over the  
center of the symbol. "What is your desire."  
  
Gathering up her courage, Shiho shouted, "I demand that all  
of the spirits haunting this house leave!"  
  
The being before her laughed wickedly, and nodded, her teeth  
glinting in near near-darkness. "As you wish."  
  
And then, she was gone, and with her, all of the wards and  
symbols that Shiho had spent careful hours crafting. Ignoring a  
vague sense of apprehension, she pronounced to the couple behind  
her, "This place... is clean!"  
  
***  
  
She summoned her favorite servant to her side, calling him  
tersely. "Wake up!"  
  
The spirit stirred, whisping into being near her warily.  
"What you want? Senbei not happy. And when you get back here,  
anyway?"  
  
Mara crooned at the spirit sitting on the palm of her hand,  
"My master is back, Senbei." She grinned toothily, not bothering to  
hide her wings. "And you're going to help me, to help him!"  
  
Senbei swallowed uneasily, muttering, "Senbei definitely not  
happy."  
  
The blonde woman scowled, gesturing below her. "Look, I want  
you to go and make a mess of things. Distract Belldandy and her  
sisters. They can't be allowed to interfere with the plan."  
  
"Senbei--"  
  
"'--Not happy'," Mara mocked. "I don't care. Shut up and get  
to work."  
  
Grumbling, the spirit did as he was bidden, dissipating into  
a fine mist that seemed to slink through the air, and to the temple  
below.  
  
***  
  
Skuld wiped her forehead, despite the lack of sweat there.  
Tradition was tradition, after all. "Okay!" she cried out, powering  
up the robot again. It whirred to life slowly, the readouts showing  
that everything appeared to be in working condition. "Banpei," she  
ordered, "take a scan of the house, and if conditions change beyond  
these parameters, then warn us all."  
  
The robot made a rush of beeping noises, and began stalking  
about the house, scanning a few spirits native to the house as it  
patrolled. Dusting her hands together, she walked back inside,  
pausing before the door to really _look_ at the exterior of the  
temple.  
  
Where she lived. With her sisters. And Keiichi. And what  
about Keiichi?  
  
She was aware of her maturity, all-too-obvious with her  
slowly manifesting power. And she was aware of the bond between  
Keiichi and her sister. She could claim to hate Keiichi as much as  
she liked, but she knew the truth, and suspected that everyone short  
of Keiichi knew, too.  
  
She couldn't hate him, really. He was simply too nice.  
"Bleah," she said softly, clasping her hands behind her and staring  
upwards at the sky. So how did she feel for him?  
  
A grimace came to her face at that thought, even in the  
light of recent events. She loved him. Not in the way that Belldandy  
did, thank the Almighty. But she did... he was like the older  
brother she never had, and... how could she resent someone Belldandy  
obviously loved so much?  
  
Not that she would ever admit that to him, though he  
probably knew... from the way she had hung onto his arm when she had  
been 'aged', and Urd made younger, if nothing else. No, she decided.  
Keiichi wasn't smart enough. Aside from which, he was hopelessly  
devoted to Belldandy.  
  
Smiling to herself, she reentered the house, letting her  
happy demeanor slip when she reached her sisters. Another problem  
was looming, one that needed more attention. "So," she asked, forced  
cheer in her voice. "What's the plan?"  
  
Urd tapped the table idly, and shrugged. "We find the King  
and watch over him before... he... can interfere."  
  
Belldandy smiled softly. "We should look for the Lady, too."  
  
Urd sighed, shaking her head. "Well, we can do one at a  
time. We can look for her, for him, or the King. Which one?"  
  
Skuld smiled brightly. "The Lady! We find her, and she'll  
help us find the King."  
  
Urd sulked, shaking her head, too. "If we do that, then  
he'll wake up faster."  
  
"Strength in numbers," Skuld admonished. "We've got five,  
they've got two."  
  
"Five?" Belldandy asked, her lips quirking into a smile.  
  
"Um..." Skuld flushed slightly. "Keiichi's on our side too,  
you know," she said defensively. "Remember when he made the  
bracelets for us?"  
  
"Yes," Belldandy agreed. "You're right."  
  
***  
  
Keiichi let back the throttle, while Megumi stared at the  
bag of clothes sitting in her lap, flustered and confused, her hair  
whipping in the wind behind her. "Thanks," she shouted.  
  
Her older brother gave her a grin and a 'thumbs up', turning  
back to the road in time to pull into the driveway, and let her out.  
He let the engine idle as she climbed out, yelling over the engine's  
roar, "Okay, Megumi, I'm going to go see if I can grab an extra  
futon from Tamiya or Otaki. I'll be back later, alright?"  
  
She nodded, clutching the bag of clothing to her chest and  
staring at her feet.  
  
"Oh," he tossed out before he left. "Don't forget to call  
Mom and Dad!"  
  
She nodded again, slowly walking into the house as he rode  
away. She wasn't even certain her apartment had burnt down  
completely... but something simply felt right about staying where  
she was. She smiled slowly, and knocked on the door.  
  
Urd answered, gesturing her inside. "Where did Keiichi go?"  
  
Megumi smiled, remembering how kind Keiichi was being to  
take care of her. "He's picking up a futon... um... I guess I have  
to share a room with one of you... I'm sorry..." her eyes fell to  
her feet, clutching the bag of clothing to her chest like a shield,  
as her apprehension increased.  
  
Urd frowned, closing the door behind Megumi, while Skuld  
muttered something about 'pattern acquisition failure' in the  
background. "It's nothing," the bronze-skinned woman assured her.  
"You're safer here, anyway."  
  
"Safer from what?"  
  
Urd looked away evasively. "Nothing important. Let's see  
about getting you set up in a room for now, hmm?"  
  
***  
  
Senbei ran some things over in his head from his position on  
a light fixture in the main room. He remembered Megumi dimly, and  
wondered at her change. She had always seemed much more confident,  
before... Not that it mattered, he decided. Unconfident meant  
unhappy, which meant that _he_ would become happy!  
  
Probably.  
  
Maybe.  
  
Still... his senses told him that there was a way to make  
them more unhappy, and thus, himself more happy.  
  
In theory.  
  
He stared at a discarded magazine on the floor, whispering  
its promises of further making them less happy to him. Working  
softly, slowly, subtly, since the goddesses were on guard, and the  
strange robot was pacing about the house, he summoned the faintest  
of breezes, turning the pages of the magazine until his senses told  
him that it was _perfect_.  
  
Exhausted, and miserable with his expenditure of power, he  
waited. His senses rarely failed him, except where Mara was  
concerned, and this time... she was. He shook his head, trying to  
dismiss the sensation of being watched.  
  
***  
  
Trying to ignore Megumi's odd acceptance of the rather  
drastic changes in her life as human adaptability, Urd motioned the  
girl to sit, while Belldandy assured her, "You can share my room,  
Megumi."  
  
The girl smiled back at Belldandy, a warm and thankful  
smile. "Thank you, Belldandy. But... don't you and Keiichi..." she  
trailed off, struggling for words.  
  
Belldandy flushed slightly, raising one hand to her face.  
"Oh, no, Megumi, it's no problem. Really."  
  
Megumi nodded weakly, and Urd shook her head, her eyes  
falling upon a discarded magazine on the floor. She blinked twice, a  
slow smile forming as she stooped to pick it up.  
  
"Say," she commented. "Do you think we could convince  
Keiichi to pick up a movie?"  
  
Skuld peered around Urd to look at the magazine, and stifled  
a slight gasp.  
  
Megumi cocked her head to one side. Urd snapped her fingers  
and made a note to herself to make sure to hide her shampoo from  
Megumi, lest more incidents occur.  
  
Belldandy and Megumi, both stared at the magazine for a  
moment, before Megumi's eyes lit with faint recognition. "I remember  
that story," she said slowly. "The boy who pulls the sword from the  
stone, and becomes a king!"  
  
Skuld nodded, an eager light in her eyes burning fit to  
match Megumi's own. "Yes! If we get that, then we can find the Lady  
easily!"  
  
Megumi frowned. "The Lady? You mean the Lady of the Lake?"  
  
Belldandy flushed slightly at that, and shook her head.  
"Well, yes, dear... But you don't need to worry about it at the  
moment. Do you suppose we could ask Keiichi to get the movie for  
us?"  
  
Urd nodded, smiling slowly. Surely it was a stroke of luck  
that had brought them this helpful clue... That had to be a promise  
of good things to come.  
  
------------------------------ 


	4. Part Three: Infirme Conscius

Fate and Destiny: Part Three  
  
Infirme Conscius  
  
  
Disclaimer: The paints (A!MG) are the property of Kousuke  
Fujishima, the easel is mine, and that's all.  
  
Notes: It's an alt, as should become apparent shortly, since  
I've read most of the U.S. manga, seen some of the OAVs, and not  
watched the movie.  
  
------------------------------  
  
Keiichi warily regarded the rolled up futon that had been  
shoved into the sidecar. Otaki had found it... somewhere.  
  
Nodding decisively, he hefted it onto his shoulders. "Okay,"  
he muttered, "I'll use this, and give mine to Megumi."  
  
He took two steps towards the temple, and froze, seeing  
Banpei waiting at the top of the steps. "Um," he called out,  
shifting the rolled up futon awkwardly to his other shoulder.  
"Hello?"  
  
Skuld and Megumi bounced out of the temple like a pair of  
excitable children, momentarily dazing him with a swirling blizzard  
of long, black hair. "Keiichi! Keiichi! Keiichi!"  
  
"Ack!" he managed, falling to land awkwardly, the futon  
clutched protectively to his chest. "What? Huh? You two calm down a  
little? Please?"  
  
The girls quieted, Megumi taking the futon, and Skuld  
helping Keiichi to his feet. "Keiichi! We want you to get a movie  
for us!"  
  
The boy slumped slightly, but nodded. "Right, right... I'll  
go get a movie..."  
  
"Wait!" Megumi cried, nearly dropping the futon. "We want a  
certain movie!"  
  
Skuld nodded, presenting Keiichi with the open magazine, and  
pointing to a picture. "We want _this_ movie!"  
  
Keiichi took the magazine without looking, and nodded again.  
"Okay, okay... Megumi, can I talk to you later, like... er... I  
asked yesterday? I still need some advice from you..."  
  
Megumi smiled, still clutching the futon. "Of course! Be  
careful, big brother!" she called out before dashing back into the  
temple with Skuld.  
  
Sighing, Keiichi looked at the magazine, and something deep  
within him seemed to stir. "I've seen this movie..." he murmured to  
himself, looking at the pictures. "Haven't I?"  
  
***  
  
Mara had swept outwards from the goddess' temple in a  
spiral, her senses and magic sweeping the area carefully. The  
chances of her master being reborn that near were slim, but surety  
and safety over trusting things to chance... And with their superior  
numbers, and hence power, they would have an advantage over her in  
searching.  
  
Yet... nary a sign. She sighed, stretching her arms and  
straining her limited energy further.  
  
Bad enough that her more powerful sister had abandoned  
her... twice. Bad enough that Belldandy was happy, and that  
happiness and love was constantly eating away at her through their  
doublet link. It was a constant annoyance, even in the depths of the  
abyss.  
  
But... something was off, and that constant light of  
happiness was wavering. And that made Mara happier, somewhat, but it  
was nothing compared to the blinding joy over the fact that her  
master was _back_ somewhere.  
  
She gave a giddy laugh, and spun in a loop, exalting once  
more. "Destiny!" she yelled to the winds, not caring who heard, or  
who woke.  
  
And below her, as though in response to calling his name as  
she meant it, a faint response was felt.  
  
***  
  
Keiichi shivered slightly, and began to wonder if he should  
have worn a jacket. "Nah," he muttered, as the shivering passed. It  
was likely nothing to worry about.  
  
He couldn't help but think that there was something about  
the movie he was carrying home for the girls, though. That there was  
some memory that tied into them... somehow.  
  
Pulling to a stop at an intersection, he looked up, stunned  
to see a familiar form descend from the heavens to stare at him in  
bewilderment, great black wings folding away as she peered at him in  
confusion. "Keiichi?" she asked, confused.  
  
He blinked, nodding. "Mara? What... what are you doing  
here?" he asked, eyes narrowing, and the memory of a certain run-in  
at a hot-spring rising to the fore.  
  
The demoness stalked forward, oblivious as normal to her  
scantily clad state -- nothing more than severely abbreviated and  
torn denim shorts, and a leather bustier. "Who are you?" she asked,  
peering into his eyes deeply, before a shock of recognition seemed  
to flash through her.  
  
"I'm... Morisato Keiichi, Mara... did you forget, or  
something?" He tensed his hands on the throttle, preparing to make a  
hasty retreat, should he need to.  
  
"You're him!" she said slowly, a wicked smile coming to her  
lips. "You're the Once and Future King, aren't you?"  
  
The name sent a hot flash of confusion and... anger?...  
welling up within him, and he shook his head. "No..." he said  
slowly, struggling to find his tongue, fighting off something deep  
within that fought, writhing inside him... trying to surface. "I'm  
not..."  
  
He shook his head, his hands falling to his sides and his  
vision dimming as a black aura seemed to seep out of him, suffusing  
the area with shadow.  
  
***  
  
Mara stepped back in confusion. "What is this?" she asked,  
confused. Was this her master? Or was it an echo of the Lord of  
Terror? The only thing she knew for certain was that he was either  
her master, or the King, or something even more powerful. She lifted  
off the ground a short distance, as the boy made warding gestures  
towards her.  
  
"What..." he grated out slowly, seeming to stand at the  
center of a swirling maelstrom of tremendous force that drew itself  
from nowhere, sheathing him in an aura of dark energy. His hair  
seemed to lengthen, black strands snapping about as though in some  
great wind, swirling with the flow of power.  
  
"Are..." he continued, driving something back, as the aura  
suddenly seemed to stop, all the summoned power hanging still and  
thick in the air; a promise of violence and power yet to be  
released.  
  
"You..." came next, the power... rippling... and changing  
its formation forcibly, reshaping the very fabric of reality by his  
will alone.  
  
"Doing..." followed, as the power seemed to sharpen itself  
into some invisible weapon, preparing to strike the demoness.  
  
"To..." Mara could only stare in a dumb sort of shock, as  
the young man's hair reached its full length, somewhere just beyond  
his waist, flaring behind him like a black cloak. The power hanging  
between them seemed nearly... alive... ready to sunder her.  
  
"ME!" he roared, throwing his hands wide, as the power  
launched upwards -- more energy in that single burst than all of  
humanity had utilized in all of their existence, and all of it,  
seeking HER out.  
  
"Wait!" she screeched, throwing a hand towards him  
desperately, playing her trump card -- too soon, in her mind, but  
this young man was playing for keeps, and she couldn't match the  
power he casually seemed to toss about without better planning. "You  
can't destroy me."  
  
A dark light seemed to flare in his eyes for a moment, and  
he floated above his motorcycle, facing her with his arms hanging  
limply at his side. "Oh," he called sweetly, in a voice so Keiichi,  
and so much more -- so very sinister, "but I _can_..."  
  
He smirked, and the power came rushing down, an invisible  
force, Mara knew, one that would leave no trace of any happening to  
any mortals that would pass. She closed her eyes, waiting for the  
inevitable. A force of that magnitude would destroy her even if she  
were to try and flee to the abyss. Only the World Ash could possibly  
stop it, or...  
  
She heard his fingers snap, and the power she was so  
frightened of halted, held in check above her. "Now... why shouldn't  
I?"  
  
In a quavering voice, she whispered, "If I am destroyed,  
then Belldandy will be, too."  
  
He stared at her, then nodded slowly. "As it would be... as  
it would be... leave me now." With that, he turned his back on her,  
striding towards his motorcycle in the still empty street, while she  
sank to her knees, gasping for breath suddenly.  
  
Who was he? Her master? He couldn't be... could he? But...  
that was not the Lord of Terror, either. It was something else...  
something equally dangerous. She shivered. "I'll take care of you  
later," she whispered, lifting herself from the ground and  
continuing her search nervously. "My master," she breathed, wishing  
she could deny the fear that ran through her, "where are you?"  
  
And more importantly, to her... what was going on?  
  
***  
  
The three sisters wordlessly shared a glance at the  
unmistakable surge of power that was flowing from something nearby.  
That much power had not been so casually bandied about in longer  
than any of them cared to remember -- easily more powerful than any  
of the goddesses alone.  
  
Urd knew from a technical standpoint that the Lady was at  
least that strong, but recognized the signature of that power. It  
was the Lady's brother. "He's awake," she murmured.  
  
Belldandy shook her head. "It's merely a fit. He'll pass  
into slumber again."  
  
Megumi and Skuld looked at Belldandy quizzically, Megumi  
asking, "Who are you talking about?"  
  
Urd answered in Belldandy's stead. "Nothing you should need  
to worry about, Megumi..."  
  
Megumi frowned petulantly, but let it pass. "I hope Keiichi  
gets home soon."  
  
Urd nodded in agreement. "Yes... that tape should help us  
find who we're looking for."  
  
***  
  
Keiichi came to his senses when he was nearly home again,  
dazed and tired, feeling something heavy -- yet comforting --  
pulling at the back of his head. He pulled into the temple,  
shivering slightly at a faint resistance as he drew to a halt. The  
wards, he supposed, though he wasn't certain why he would think  
that, and it had never affected him before...  
  
He climbed off of the motorcycle slowly, wondering where his  
helmet had gone. He ran a hand through his hair, only able to  
grimace as he noted that it was -- once again -- long. "Great," he  
grumbled. "Maybe I should just leave it that way... wonder what made  
it grow this time?"  
  
Shaking off a momentary wave of disconcertion, he climbed up  
the steps, slowing as Banpei made no move to let him pass. "Hey," he  
called out, eyeing the robot warily. "This thing won't let me into  
the temple!"  
  
Belldandy arrived first, and spoke to the robot in a low  
tone, causing it to step away, seemingly unhappy about the event.  
The goddess offered her normal radiant smile to Keiichi, and he  
smiled back, wondering. He still needed to talk to Megumi about...  
he wondered how many of his thoughts showed through on his grin, and  
flushed, offering the tape he had picked up to her.  
  
She accepted it, taking his hand and leading him into the  
temple. "Thank you, Keiichi... Did something happen?"  
  
He shrugged, glancing at Skuld as she stared at him in  
confusion. "I don't know... I don't _think_ so... but... heh, my  
hair got long again."  
  
The youngest of the sisters mumbled, poking at her latest  
device. "I think it's just residue..." she said after a moment.  
"First the..." she trailed off, smirking, and poked Keiichi's chest  
inquisitively. "Anything else starting to come back?"  
  
He rolled his eyes at that. "No." Muttering, he stepped  
inside, dismissing the incident for the moment.  
  
***  
  
Urd pulled Skuld to the side while Keiichi chatted with his  
sister and tried to explain his hair to her. "Skuld? Did you sense  
something from Keiichi when he came in?"  
  
Skuld nodded, showing Urd a readout from Banpei's display.  
"Yeah... for some reason, Banpei thought that Keiichi was a demon."  
  
Frowning, Urd studied Keiichi closely. "You don't think that  
he's been possessed, do you?"  
  
Seemingly surprised at the thought, Skuld stared at Keiichi  
for a long moment. "I'd better scan him again!" she exclaimed,  
pulling a module from her sleeve and plugging it into the robot's  
back.  
  
Urd crossed her arms, watching as the robot studied Keiichi  
closely, and spat out its various data on him. "Well?" she asked  
impatiently, "what's the situation?"  
  
Skuld sighed, shaking her head. "Nothing. Like I thought in  
the first place, it looks like residue from... something else. Maybe  
the Lord of Terror."  
  
Tapping one finger against her lower lip thoughtfully, Urd  
nodded. "We'll just have to keep an eye on him... We don't want to  
let anything happen to him."  
  
The youngest of the sisters nodded, returning Banpei to  
patrolling the perimeter, and thus missing as a small wisp-like form  
slipped away, leaving the temple. "We can't afford to let ourselves  
be distracted... I'm going to have Banpei scan the area."  
  
***  
  
Keiichi tied his hair up for the moment, deciding he could  
cut it later. For tonight, he needed to relax, he needed to ask his  
sister about... that... and he needed... He blinked, looking at his  
reflection in a mirror.  
  
There was a smudge on his face, but when he peered at it  
more closely, it was gone, leaving him to wonder. "Huh..." he  
murmured, "I wonder..." Taking a nearby rag, he rubbed at the  
mirror, nodding to himself when it came back with a faint sheen  
of... something. The mirror had been dirty, and nothing more.  
  
Stretching, he tossed the rag aside, trotting towards the  
main room, the assembled women waiting for him with varying degrees  
of patience. Megumi and Skuld were lying near each other on the  
floor, their legs beneath the main table, while Urd sat to one side,  
and Belldandy the other. Saving the best seat for him, he noticed,  
smiling his thanks at them.  
  
Belldandy returned his smile warmly, while Urd rolled her  
eyes impatiently. "Are you ready yet?" she asked, her tanned face  
betraying only a hint of annoyance. Still, Keiichi had learned to  
read her in other ways...  
  
"Yeah," he said in apology. "I didn't mean to take so long,  
sorry."  
  
She waved her hand dismissively, starting the cassette  
player in the same motion. Keiichi sat carefully, sitting slightly  
nearer to Belldandy than Urd. She smiled sweetly at him again, then  
turned her attention to the television, as the movie started.  
  
To Keiichi, the movie seemed vaguely familiar, though every  
time he tried to pinpoint _where_ he remembered it from, it slipped  
away, elusively. His patience began to wear thin as the movie  
progressed, largely annoyed with himself over his complete lack of  
memory about something that should have been so familiar.  
  
More than that, the movie itself grated, full of events that  
seemed trite, pointless, and devoid of any ultimate purpose. Shaking  
his head, he idly scanned the box, checking the year. _Had_ he seen  
it before? The date said that it was too recent for that to be the  
case, but it seemed so familiar.  
  
Still, the girls were completely absorbed in it, seemingly  
enthralled by the events that bored him so. The main character --  
Arthur -- got a magic sword from a woman in a lake, fought his  
enemies, and established a great kingdom.  
  
And from there, it was largely about his exploits, and his  
attempts to make the world a better place. Keiichi grimaced, rubbing  
at his temples and wishing he could understand why that seemed so...  
trite. Wasn't making the world a better place a good thing? Perhaps  
just foolishly idealistic.  
  
He dismissed that for the moment, as the movie slowly  
improved -- when things began to go wrong for Arthur. The girls all  
sighed together, shaking their heads sadly, as Keiichi leaned  
forward, actually becoming interested. He wasn't certain _why_ he  
found it more interesting, it simply felt... right... for some  
reason.  
  
The movie ended with the king dying, and being borne away on  
a ship by a trio of women in white veils. Keiichi made a thoughtful  
noise, commenting, "That was a good movie."  
  
Skuld pouted, shaking her head and complaining, "The ending  
sucked!"  
  
"Really? I thought it was great."  
  
Megumi sat up, turning to face her brother, and cocked her  
head to one side. Frowning at him quizzically as the tape rewound,  
she asked, "Why do you say so?"  
  
Keiichi rolled his eyes at that. "It ended the way it was  
supposed to. I mean, stories can't _all_ have happy endings."  
  
"Maybe they don't," she countered, "but that one should have  
ended differently. He shouldn't have died."  
  
"What are you talking about? He _had_ to die!" Keiichi  
blinked, surprised at the venom that had begun to creep into his  
voice, and added, "I mean, if it was a happy ending, then what else  
would happen?"  
  
"Well," Megumi began thoughtfully, "he'd bring about social  
reform, and try to make the world a better place." She nodded, as  
Skuld wormed her way around to peer at the pair of them, confused.  
"From there, he would expand his empire, bringing peace and a new  
way of life to the world."  
  
Keiichi groaned, hanging his head. "Are you serious? You're  
advocating a tyranny! He would take over the world, and force  
everyone to live under his iron fist? Is that what you're saying?"  
  
Stung, Megumi shook her head. "Of course not! But it  
wouldn't be a tyranny, because he's a good person, with a good  
heart, and he would have done everything to make the world a better  
place!"  
  
"Ugh!" Keiichi retorted, "Can't you come up with a better  
argument than 'he's a good person'? I mean, seriously, you know what  
they say -- 'The path to hell is paved with good intentions'. All  
you're saying is that 'he's a nice guy!', and you don't offer  
anything more solid?"  
  
"You underestimate people, Keiichi," Megumi grumbled,  
crossing her arms beneath her chest. "Just because you don't see  
_only_ nice people doesn't mean that they don't exist. You just  
don't have enough faith."  
  
"Faith?" Keiichi retorted, mentally preparing a list of the  
arguments he would use to counter her. But... why? He shook his  
head, wondering why he was letting something this petty cause so  
much strife. "Aw... maybe you're right. It's just a movie. Anyway,  
it's not important... Megumi, can I talk to you for a moment?"  
  
Megumi nodded sullenly, apparently still unhappy over the  
argument, as she got to her feet and followed Keiichi to his room.  
He glanced back at the goddesses, both Urd and Skuld simply staring  
at him and his sister, eyes wide, and Belldandy behind them, her  
expression worried. Dismissing them for the moment, he slid his door  
shut, turning his attention back to Megumi.  
  
***  
  
Megumi held her hands before her, clasping them nervously  
below her chest, and unsure why she was so uncomfortable near her  
brother. He seemed distracted, glancing about nervously, and she had  
to wonder at that, too. The movie, and she still couldn't understand  
why she had wanted to see it, still lay in her memory, and the  
memory of the argument, such an old argument.  
  
More than that, though, her memories of the movie seemed to  
remind her of something in her _own_ memory, something that felt  
like she was about to remember it... but couldn't quite. And she had  
never had an argument like _that_ with her brother before. Had she?  
Some part of her remembered there being both more _and_ worse  
arguments.  
  
Keiichi began to smile slowly, a warm, distracted smile.  
"Megumi..." he started, staring at his feet, "I... I need your  
advice." Taking a deep breath, he blurted out, "Megumi, I want to  
marry Belldandy!"  
  
She blinked, the faint surfacing memories completely blown  
away by her brother's words. "What?" she asked, trying to decide if  
the hopeful young man before her was her real brother, or some  
clever imposter.  
  
Keiichi's face had turned entirely crimson, and he was  
completely absorbed in studying his feet. "I want to marry  
Belldandy," he said again, quietly.  
  
Megumi smiled broadly, patting Keiichi's shoulder in a  
sisterly manner. "Why didn't you say so?" she asked, giggling. "What  
do you need help with?"  
  
"Um..." he mumbled, "I need to know what kind of ring to get  
her."  
  
"Oh!" Megumi exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "That's  
easy! Belldandy looks like the kind of girl who would want something  
that would last, and was from your heart!"  
  
Keiichi blinked, at those words. "That's it?" he asked  
dumbly.  
  
"Yep!"  
  
Keiichi grinned widely, gathering his younger sister in a  
hug. "Thanks, Megumi!"  
  
She pushed him away, laughing quietly back at him, "Any  
time, Bro!"  
  
------------------------------ 


	5. Part Four: Plene Evigilo

Fate and Destiny: Part Four  
  
Plene Evigilo  
  
  
Disclaimer: The paints (A!MG) are the property of Kousuke  
Fujishima, the easel is mine, and that's all.  
  
Notes: It's an alt, as should become apparent shortly, since  
I've read most of the U.S. manga, seen some of the OAVs, and not  
watched the movie.  
  
------------------------------  
  
Senbei grumbled to himself, glad he was quit of the  
household, and its goddesses, thankful for his day and a half of  
freedom. Mara had been too busy doing... whatever it was she was  
doing to try and summon him again.  
  
He had no desire to meet with Mara's master -- he had met  
with the being once, and it had been enough.  
  
There were gods, and there were demons... And Senbei knew,  
there were Concepts, too.  
  
Himself being little more than an especially powerful  
spirit, was in no position to deal with a Concept. Things like...  
well, it was best not to think of them too much, or their attention  
could be drawn.  
  
Mara would be just _fine_ invoking her master's name -- she  
had no reason to fear that kind of attention. Senbei, on the other  
hand, had every reason to fear it.  
  
The Concepts were divided into two groups, each being an  
opposite of the other. Where there were many goddesses of love,  
there was only one Concept of love, and then, she governed over each  
_kind_ of love... though curiously, humans seemed to spend much more  
time and interest in romantic love rather than any other kind --  
like familial. Senbei never really understood that, and didn't  
really care. He took care to stay out of Love's way.  
  
Concepts had more power than even first class unlimited gods  
and demons, and could only truly rate themselves against each other.  
Love, wherever he was, would likely never look at Senbei, which  
suited him just fine, though Hate found the spirit interesting.  
Senbei shivered at that. He was on good terms with Hate, he  
supposed, having run into her in the abyss, but still preferred to  
avoid all contact with the Concept. She was simply too powerful for  
something as... fragile... as himself.  
  
Worse, the concepts were subject to themselves, and each  
other in ways too complex for Senbei to understand. As a rule,  
things that Senbei didn't understand, but could casually destroy  
him, were a Bad Thing.  
  
So he considered simply laying low, hiding, and completely  
disassociating himself from Mara for the duration. She never liked  
him, anyway, only the things he could do for her. And that didn't  
suit him at _all_. Besides, he reasoned, he had done his part  
already.  
  
***  
  
And in the house they shared with Keiichi, the three sisters  
stared at each other.  
  
Urd found her voice first, "That... was unusual."  
  
Skuld nodded, eyes wide and blinking. "What do you suppose  
that... that all meant?"  
  
Belldandy pursed her lips thoughtfully, taking the cassette  
and replacing it in its case. "I believe," she started cautiously,  
"that Megumi... might be the Lady."  
  
Two pairs of eyes locked on the goddess, younger and older  
sister alike only able to stare in shock. "But," Urd said,  
struggling for words, "how? And... who's her broth-" She fell  
silent, her eyes widening.  
  
Skuld missed Urd's epiphany, and asked, "What? Who's the  
Lady's brother going to be? Who?"  
  
Urd winced, glancing at Skuld sharply. "Who's Megumi's  
brother, Skuld?"  
  
The youngest of the trio blinked repeatedly, mulling it  
over. "It... it can't be Keiichi," she said slowly. "If it were,  
then... wouldn't he have been able to keep the Lord of Terror from  
taking him over?"  
  
Urd frowned, contemplating. "He couldn't stop him directly,  
no, that's not how his power worked."  
  
Belldandy interjected smoothly, "But he could easily make it  
so that the Lord of Terror's attention was drawn elsewhere. That  
would be simple for him to accomplish."  
  
Nodding slowly, Urd conceded the point to Belldandy. "You  
could be right," she admitted. "It would be too obvious for him to  
be her sister as his next incarnation. I don't think that Kami-sama  
works that way."  
  
Skuld nodded, chiming in, "No way Keiichi could be him. But  
what do we do now? I don't think Megumi remembers yet."  
  
Belldandy stared towards the room that Keiichi and Megumi  
had disappeared into for a moment, then smiled. "I think that we  
should be careful, and let her remember without too much pushing,"  
she suggested.  
  
Not wholly convinced, Skuld shook her head, asking, "Is that  
okay? What if her brother wakes up and remembers everything faster?  
We're going to be in big trouble, then."  
  
"Have faith, Skuld. I think everything will be okay, as long  
as we're calm, and have faith."  
  
"Right," Skuld grumbled doubtfully.  
  
With that, they separated, considering how to best wake  
Megumi up without confusing her unduly.  
  
***  
  
Classes, and indeed most of the rest of the day had  
disappeared into a pleasantly confusing blur of faintly remembered  
colors, and rough snatches of conversation. He came jarringly to his  
senses sitting on his bike again, preparing to return home. Keiichi  
hesitated, pondering a deviation from his course, and ultimately,  
gave in.  
  
He wasn't certain where he was going, except that he would  
know when he saw it. He didn't know of any jewelry stores in the  
area, but Megumi had told him something he felt was true. Whatever  
he gave Belldandy had to be from the heart, and... well, that would  
be hopefully be enough.  
  
The trouble was, after all that they had been through  
together, he couldn't help but feel that she had always done much  
more for him, than he had for her. And that meant that anything he  
_did_ give her should be special. He should have to work for it,  
something...  
  
Something to prove his worthiness to her, he supposed,  
though he wasn't certain what, yet. He idly wondered if he should  
have found a way to bring Megumi along, but she was busy calling  
their parents, along with whoever else needed to be told about the  
fire. So that left him alone to find a ring... a ring for Belldandy.  
  
Whistling softly, still not knowing where he was going,  
Keiichi drove away from his school, going further from his home. He  
would find something, he was sure.  
  
***  
  
Megumi sat the receiver back on its cradle, done for the  
moment with her calls. Her parents were understanding, and had  
encouraged her to stay with Keiichi -- who needed to call them, they  
reminded her.  
  
She sighed softly, clad in one of the outfits that she had  
bought yesterday with her brother. Bought for her with money that he  
might have been saving for an engagement ring for Belldandy, she  
noted guiltily. The woman in question, however, was sitting near the  
back door, humming idly, and knitting a scarf. Megumi speculated  
briefly -- did Belldandy know what Keiichi was planning?  
  
Urd and Skuld watched her, the pair sitting at the table  
attentively, bright eyes flickering to shoot glances at one another  
before darting back to her.  
  
Megumi decided to ignore the eldest and youngest sisters,  
instead turning to study Belldandy. The woman was completely  
composed, calmly knitting quietly. The backyard was visible through  
the door, and she looked out at it occasionally, before turning back  
to the cloth before her.  
  
"Um... Belldandy?" Megumi began cautiously.  
  
Belldandy set her knitting aside, smiling at Megumi warmly.  
"Yes, Megumi?"  
  
Megumi smiled weakly, looking at the scarf. "Isn't it a bit  
warm for a scarf?"  
  
Frowning thoughtfully, Belldandy studied the nearly  
completed scarf that lay in her lap, and shook her head. "Perhaps...  
but I don't worry about that too much. I'm making it for Keiichi."  
  
Megumi's smile strengthened at that. Her brother was a good  
guy, she thought, and Belldandy was great person, too. They deserved  
each other. "Oh," she said quietly. "I'm glad... glad you like my  
brother so much."  
  
Belldandy laughed softly, nodding. "Yes, you've always been  
considerate of us, that I remembered."  
  
Megumi nodded, remembering -- vaguely -- that she had in the  
past... She shook her head, wondering at the memories. "I  
remember..." she said slowly, groping for the fading images in her  
mind.  
  
Belldandy smiled hopefully. "Yes, that's right."  
  
Urd and Skuld were flanking her, smiling warmly along with  
Belldandy. "I remember that you were always nice to me, even when we  
made mistakes," the youngest added.  
  
"Yes..." Megumi murmured, her eyes becoming distant. "I  
remember..."  
  
"And how you accepted me from your brother's allegiance to  
your own?" asked Urd.  
  
In a dizzying rush of nausea, the memories vanished, and  
Megumi was left shaking her head in confusion. "What?" she asked  
Belldandy, who was already working on the scarf once more. "What  
happened?" Urd and Skuld remained silent, not nearby, but watching  
the television. Had it been her imagination?  
  
Belldandy merely sighed, smiling softly, seeming entirely  
focused on her work. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about," she  
answered after a moment. "When it's important, you'll remember."  
  
***  
  
Seething inwardly, hurt, tired, and alone, Mara finally  
paused to rest. She was tired, oh so tired...  
  
But she wouldn't give up! The last time she had tried  
invoking her master's name, something had gone wrong. She wondered  
the best way to deal with the boy, and what powers he had... It made  
no sense to her.  
  
What kind of mortal could possess that power? The more she  
thought of it, the more she became certain. Keiichi... somehow...  
was her master.  
  
But that didn't make sense.  
  
Or did it? Would he willingly allow the course of events to  
put the Lord of Terror in his own body as they had, trusting that  
the situation would be resolved? It _had_ resulted in a good deal of  
system damage...  
  
She blinked, pieces sliding together slowly.  
  
"Oh," she whispered, finally seeing the plan -- the plan  
that he had never had a chance to tell her about before it was too  
late. "I see it!"  
  
Everything... everything was deviously crafted to put him in  
the center of their lives! As someone that they would value, and  
treasure, and then, in an ultimately spiteful burst of betrayal, he  
would reveal his true nature.  
  
Even if he couldn't truly hurt them without damaging himself  
-- or her -- he would have destroyed them in every sense that had  
meaning!  
  
But what could she do to aid him? A slow, wicked smile  
formed about her lips. The previous encounter was because she had  
invoked his name at a time he wished to lie dormant. If she weren't  
to invoke his name, then...  
  
"Ah," she breathed softly, shifting her spells to search for  
Keiichi.  
  
***  
  
Keiichi pulled to a halt before a small store, eyeing the  
sign in the front casually. "Hmm," he mused, reading the sign.  
'Jewelry'. Nothing more than that, but then...  
  
A journey, he thought, parking, and walking into the store.  
A mission to retrieve something worthy of her. That would be a step  
in the right direction. If it was harder, then it would make things  
more worthwhile.  
  
The thick wooden floor bore a faint layer of dust. Assorted  
antiques lined the walls, short display cases littering the floor,  
and dim and failing lights showing various rings on small velvet  
displays. He pondered briefly at the darkness, and a faint chime  
sounded as the door swung shut behind him. The atmosphere was not  
the most welcoming, but it felt... familiar, somehow.  
  
The proprietor lurked behind a counter quietly, glancing at  
Keiichi for a moment, and then away.  
  
Dismissing the man for the moment, Keiichi turned to the  
rows of display cases, peering closely at the nearest selection of  
rings. "Hey," he complained after a moment, "none of these things  
have prices."  
  
Coughing softly, the man behind the counter approached,  
eyeing Keiichi distastefully. "Of course," he murmured. "My general  
clientele have no need of 'prices'."  
  
Keiichi pulled his hand back from the edge of the display  
case, frowning. He had little enough money, as it was -- less after  
helping Megumi and buying her new clothes -- and the man's attitude  
suggested to Keiichi that it would take much more money than he had  
to afford anything good enough for Belldandy.  
  
But giving up was tantamount to failure at this point. He'd  
managed to get as far as he had without backing down when it  
mattered in longer than he could remember. He'd take this challenge  
as well.  
  
Staring at the clerk, he pointed at one ring -- a simple  
gold band -- and asked, "What about this one?" He waited for the  
clerk to tell him, busily offering a silent prayer that he somehow  
had the money at hand.  
  
***  
  
Counting the money a second time, putting as much effort  
into snubbing the boy before him as he could, the clerk grudgingly  
handed over the band, which the boy eagerly pocketed. "Will that be  
all?" he asked stiffly.  
  
With a shake of his head, the boy departed, leaving the  
clerk alone for the moment. The clerk grumbled, remembering how even  
the boy seemed surprised when he had produced the cash.  
  
But he was able to meet the price the clerk had insisted on.  
More than the real value of the ring, but _he_ didn't need to know  
that. Smirking, he opened the safe to deposit the money, closing and  
sealing it securely.  
  
Securely enough that even he would have to wonder how the  
money had turned to dust, only hours later, and he with no proof  
that the boy had ever been there.  
  
***  
  
Drumming her fingers against the table thoughtfully, Skuld  
frowned.  
  
There was a sensation in the pit of her stomach... the  
feeling of impending disaster. But she pushed it away. Belldandy  
said that Megumi was the Lady. With the Lady, nothing could go  
wrong, she told herself. Nothing.  
  
She just needed to be patient, and wait for the Lady to  
wake, and remember...  
  
***  
  
Keiichi looked up slowly, sensing something approaching him.  
He wasn't certain how, but he sensed it. Pulling to a sudden stop,  
he glanced around the empty street. No more stops to shop for  
anything, and far from home yet, but... Something told him that he  
_had_ to be there.  
  
He frowned at that. 'Something'. It was so vague -- why was  
he letting it guide him so strongly, if it were so unclear? He had a  
job to do -- give the ring to Belldandy -- and he was still  
uncertain how he intended to propose.  
  
Sighing, he stood, frowning at a fleck of rust on the  
handlebars of his bike. "That's not right," he muttered, peering at  
it more closely, climbing off of the bike. "I just chromed this  
thing last weekend..."  
  
A voice alerted him, and he spun, seeing the demoness from  
the day before again. "Mara," he said levelly, trying to push the  
images of her at the hot springs out of his mind. Why did they haunt  
him like that, anyway? "What are you doing here?" He blinked  
suddenly, remembering. "You did something to me yesterday!" he  
accused.  
  
"No," she whispered, softly, striding towards him slowly,  
wings half extended and curled about herself like a demonic mantle.  
"I did nothing to you... yesterday. Today, however... I _am_ going  
to do something to you."  
  
He blinked, stepping back -- nearly falling over his bike --  
and shaking his head. "What... what are you going to do to me?" he  
asked, unable to keep a note of fear out of his voice.  
  
Leaning forward, Mara licked her lips, running her tongue  
across her well-defined canines, and seemingly unmindful of the view  
she was offering Keiichi of her more-than-generous cleavage. "Why,  
Keiichi!" She playfully exclaimed, "I'm going to take you to  
heaven..."  
  
Keiichi swallowed, wishing he could edge further away, even  
as part of his mind urged him to move towards the demoness.  
  
***  
  
In the port city of Sasebo, a pair of young duelists broke  
off their kendo practice, staring upwards at the sky. The sun had  
just set, and the first stars were coming into visibility.  
  
The first lowered his bokken, stepping away from his  
partner, some sensation he couldn't pinpoint sweeping through him.  
"Did you feel that?"  
  
The second nodded, scratching the back of his head  
nervously. "Yeah. I did. We should probably go home..."  
  
***  
  
Keiichi stumbled after the demoness, part of his mind trying  
to resist, even as another battled against the resistance.  
  
She simply smirked, turning to look at him, and he fumbled  
for a moment with his wallet, paying a clerk -- where had the clerk  
come from? And the money?  
  
The clerk looked patently bored, handing him a key.  
  
Keiichi blinked at the key dumbly, not remembering moving  
from the clerk's office to the door before him. Everything was  
disjointed, confusing. Mara cooed into his ear softly, "And it  
doesn't matter what you try, my little Keiichi... you'll be mine  
before the night is over."  
  
She led him into the room -- when had the door been  
unlocked? And drew him towards the bed, purring softly.  
  
"Wait," he said slowly, his tongue slowed for some reason.  
  
"No," she whispered, pulling herself to him, and delicately  
nipping his ear with her teeth. "Not any longer, Keiichi... You're  
mine."  
  
"Bell..." he said slowly, trying to fight off the strange  
compulsion. "Belldandy..."  
  
Mara smirked, reaching to place one of Keiichi's hands on  
her chest. "Do you feel that, Keiichi?" she whispered, still using  
her seductive tone. He nodded in response slowly. "I'm real... you  
can touch me... and tonight?" He blinked, unable to answer her  
questioning tone. "You will," she completed, her tongue peeking from  
between her lips as she faced him again.  
  
***  
  
Gasping for breath, Megumi sank to her knees, clutching her  
head. "What..." she said, her voice strained, "what's going on?"  
  
Belldandy gently placed her hand against Megumi's forehead,  
retaining her ever-present warm smile. "I told you that you would  
remember when it was important," she said cheerfully, as Megumi's  
entire being was suddenly set afire -- each point of it surging with  
some strange force, leaving her blindingly, achingly aware of  
herself.  
  
It was as though she could feel the very floor beneath her,  
not against her skin, but against... itself, as though she were  
suddenly becoming part of the world surrounding her. Buoying her  
against the nauseating rush, Belldandy's presence seemed to expand,  
as though on some higher level it were more than a simple touch,  
instead a comforting embrace, releasing her as she slowly began to  
control the rush of information.  
  
Then too, her mind seemed to... unfold, to expand to be able  
to accommodate the influx of information. Dazed, she drew away from  
Belldandy, barely aware of the fact that the new clothes that  
Keiichi had bought for her only the day before had been reduced  
beyond cinders, and she was instead clad in some light, comforting  
material.  
  
Shivering, she bobbed slightly above the surface of the  
floor, as memories of who she was began to seep in, the barrier  
between her former incarnation and her current one crumbling. As it  
crumbled, her mind rode through eons and eons of memories in a  
rushing torrent, the memories slowly whirling about her to settle  
themselves.  
  
"I know," she said slowly, "who I am again..."  
  
Belldandy calmly rose, and bowed towards her. "It is good to  
have you back, Lady."  
  
Urd and Skuld simply stared from their own places, their  
eyes overflowing with joy -- a joy that Megumi could feel flowing  
from them into the space about her. Feel... "Thank you, Belldandy.  
But there is no reason to fear speaking my brothers name."  
  
"Keiichi?" Skuld asked worriedly.  
  
"No," Megumi said slowly, her mind still letting the odd  
memory and bits of knowledge settle, "Destiny." Her mind reeled  
momentarily, two personae struggling for dominance --  
  
She walked across the yard to her brother, who was reading a  
book, and he smiled at her.  
  
She drifted across the void between the realms, searching  
for her brother and flanked by her two servants.  
  
She watched her brother try and rebuild his first motorcycle  
engine.  
  
She presented the Once and Future King with his blade. He  
dubbed it, 'Chrysaor', 'Durandal', 'Sanglamore', and many other  
names, in many other instances.  
  
She attended her first day of high school, where she met the  
boy who would be her first boyfriend.  
  
She watched with horror as her brother defeated her again,  
sending an adder to end the life of the King. Arthur, Parikshit,  
Marduuk, and more... each falling to her brother before his Fate was  
complete.  
  
She got her own apartment, preparing to live life on her own  
as she went through school.  
  
She fell to nothingness as her brother destroyed himself in  
the stuff of Chaos, where none could follow...  
  
She woke up, surrounded by three sisters.  
  
-- and in one voice, the three sisters spoke, "Welcome back,  
Lady Fate."  
  
***  
  
Mara lay tired, catching her breath. Her wings were gone for  
the moment, as they had interfered with... She glanced at the room,  
only dimly remembering the process of obtaining it.  
  
The room itself was tacky, garishly decorated in too-bright  
colors and probably none-too-clean behind the sparse furnishings.  
Smiling, she turned to look at the man she had entered the room  
with. He lay quiescent, staring at the ceiling thoughtfully.  
  
"Mmm..." she began, biting back her first word. "Are you mad  
at me?" she asked instead.  
  
He smirked, shaking his head without meeting her eyes.  
"Nay."  
  
Biting her lip, and feeling the fatigue of her assorted  
exertions overtake her, she asked, "Are you... did I make a  
mistake?"  
  
He said nothing for a long moment, then shook his head  
again. "In the first instance only, and then, you are not to blame.  
You could not have known of the plan... But no more. Let us quit  
this place. You are tired, and as much as I enjoyed your tender  
affections... I have not yet subsumed 'Keiichi'." He paused for a  
moment, considering, then added, "I will do that later. For the  
nonce, however, I would have you rest. Come."  
  
With that, he stretched, ignoring the discarded clothing  
that they had worn, and touched her wrist gently. Her world fell to  
a rushing flood of black flames, though his presence shielded her  
from the worst of the disorientation... and then she was back, among  
the fallen columns of Destiny's palace.  
  
He eyed the decay for a moment before shrugging, and with a  
gesture, a small Grecian building stood where once there was rubble.  
"The rest, I shall take care of later. For now, you may rest,  
recover, and when I need you again, I shall summon you."  
  
She nodded, standing again, and unconcerned about her lack  
of clothing. Destiny was already clothed once more in his  
traditional gray cloak, his armor beneath it, though that faded, to  
be replaced with the clothes Keiichi had worn into the love hotel.  
"I..." she began, biting her lip and turning to look at her feet.  
  
"Think you, then," he began, "that that meant nothing to  
me?" He shook his head. "You think wrongly. I care for you. Deeply.  
That you have aided my quest draws me closer, I should think. I do  
not mind at all... you have remained loyal to me, where..." he  
grimaced distastefully, "where your sister has not. We will speak of  
this later." With that, he reached a hand to her chin, cupping it  
gently and drawing her into a deep, searching kiss. "Rest, now."  
  
Overwhelmed, she nodded, as he ascended beyond the abyss in  
a roaring column of dark energy. "I love you," she whispered to his  
vanishing trail. "And you care for me..."  
  
And suddenly, the blinding optimism of the love that  
Belldandy felt as her doublet partner wasn't such a nuisance  
anymore. Sighing softly, she retreated into the chamber her master  
had prepared for her -- replete with fresh clothing, so that she  
wouldn't need to expend any of her own energy to create them -- and  
rest.  
  
------------------------------ 


	6. Part Five: Inchoatus Ludus

Fate and Destiny: Part Five  
  
Inchoatus Ludus  
  
  
Disclaimer: The paints (A!MG) are the property of Kousuke  
Fujishima, the easel is mine, and that's all.  
  
Notes: It's an alt, as should become apparent shortly, since  
I've read most of the U.S. manga, seen some of the OAVs, and not  
watched the movie.  
  
------------------------------  
  
Keiichi staggered to a halt, blinking blearily. What had  
happened? His hands were blackened with grease, and pocked with  
shallow gouges. His jeans were worn through at the knees, and the  
pain there told him that he had likely hurt himself somehow.  
  
Yet... he couldn't remember. Why, he asked himself, was the  
world such a scary and unfriendly place? His hands stung, the  
grease... motor oil? The thick black substance. It was seeping into  
the cuts on his hands, burning slowly. Whimpering, he looked around.  
Where was he?  
  
He recognized the street, and smiled gratefully. "I'm not  
far from home." He managed exactly three steps before a sharp stab  
of pain in his ankle made him limp, and he hissed, working his way  
ever closer to the house.  
  
When he got there, Banpei blocked his path, shaking his  
robotic head, and offering his impassive smile. "Hello?" Keiichi  
called weakly. "Anyone?"  
  
In a disorienting rush, he reached towards the robot, and it  
stepped backwards, shutting down. His hand fell to his side, his  
memory of the incident fading... Why was Banpei outside and shut  
down?  
  
He glanced at the sky briefly, darkening with the sunset,  
but more with the promise of rain. What had he been thinking about?  
  
After a moment, Skuld appeared, breaking him out of his  
reverie, and freezing when she took in his appearance. "Keiichi?"  
she squeaked. "What happened to you?"  
  
He looked at his hands, and shook his head. "I don't  
remember."  
  
Skuld grimaced, and frowned at Banpei. "Sorry," she  
explained, pulling the robot to one side, "but I think... one of his  
capacitors burned out, and he thinks you're..." trailing off, she  
blinked, and shook her head. "I'll look at him later." The girl  
paused, staring at Banpei in consternation. "How did that happen? I  
thought..." trailing off, the goddess shook her head. "Time enough  
to worry about that later."  
  
He nodded, climbing the steps, and eyeing the robot  
suspiciously. Dismissing it for the moment, he strode into the  
house, trailed by Skuld, and met Belldandy and Urd inside,  
conversing with someone else in low tones.  
  
Drawing to a halt, he studied her, recognizing... "Megumi?"  
he asked, stunned by her facial markings. She looked like... a  
goddess. "What's going on?" The last thing he could remember, he was  
riding... he had picked out a ring, and was riding home. What had  
happened?  
  
Belldandy was on her feet in the instant he spoke, eyes wide  
with worry. "Keiichi?" she asked. "Are you okay? What happened?"  
  
He shrugged worriedly, dismissing his sister for the moment,  
and not wanting to touch Belldandy with his blackened and bloody  
hands. "I... I'm sorry. I can't remember."  
  
Belldandy nodded solemnly. "I'm going to replay your  
memories, Keiichi. Is that okay?"  
  
He returned the nod, remembering her mentioning that she had  
done that once before, long ago. Closing her eyes, she touched her  
forehead to his, and he was momentarily blinded by a surge of  
memory. "Accident?" he asked numbly, as Belldandy drew away. "I  
crashed?" He stared at his hands. "I guess that explains it..." But  
then... why had he abandoned his bike?  
  
Urd raised an eyebrow suspiciously, after conferring with  
Skuld. Nodding, the eldest approached Keiichi, saying, "Let me try."  
He shrugged, and Urd placed one hand on his face, frowning intently.  
The surge of memory repeated again, more weakly this time. The  
goddess blinked, and the memory replayed a third time, before  
dissolving into a different memory, this one not of pavement and  
flames, but soft curves and--  
  
They drew apart, Keiichi collapsing to the floor, eyes wide  
in shock, and Urd simply staring, jaw agape. Gathering her wits,  
Urd's hands clenched into fists. "I'll kill her," she stated,  
"that's all there is to it -- I'll kill her!"  
  
The three remaining women stared in confusion, while Keiichi  
slowly brought his hands to his head. "It... I... How..." but as  
much as he remembered what he had done with the demoness... "Why?"  
He couldn't find an answer.  
  
***  
  
Skuld frowned, peering at Keiichi, on the verge of sobbing  
as he sat on his knees, eyes wide but unseeing, and Urd, simply  
shaking her head back and forth and shuddering in rage. "What  
happened?" Skuld asked. Keiichi didn't look hurt badly... at least  
not in a way that couldn't be fixed.  
  
Belldandy stood near Megumi, who had approached to see what  
the trouble was about -- and because mortal or not, Keiichi was her  
brother, Skuld supposed. Which still meant that Keiichi could be the  
Lady's brother, she realized.  
  
Banpei _had_ detected Keiichi as a demon earlier, before it  
had failed. Had it failed, and then mis-detected him, or... "Wait a  
minute!" she cried out, pointing a finger at Keiichi. "Why did  
Banpei think you were a demon?"  
  
Urd calmed herself, and shook her head quickly. "It's not  
like that," she muttered. "He'll stop showing up like _that_ after  
he's been away from Mara for a few days. It's just a side-effect."  
  
Skuld frowned, confused. What had that kind of side effect?  
"I don't get it," she grumbled, pouting as Belldandy reached down to  
gently touch the quivering Keiichi's head.  
  
There was a momentary, yet subtle, surge of power, and then  
the goddess stood straight up, managing to say only, "Oh, my!"  
before she collapsed, limp, and had to be caught by Urd.  
  
Lowering her unconscious sister gently, Urd muttered, "It's  
not your fault, Keiichi. Go take a bath. We'll... we'll sort this  
out somehow."  
  
Collecting himself enough to nod weakly, though still  
seeming confused, Keiichi wandered towards the washroom, leaving  
Skuld and Megumi to stare at each other in confusion.  
  
***  
  
Keiichi sighed, thankful for the temple's furo. It was, at  
least, some comfort to him, in the light of...  
  
He shuddered, remembering.  
  
How? How could he have done... _that_?  
  
He shuddered again, splashing himself with cold water from  
the wash-bucket. Worse, was the betrayal that... as little as he  
wanted to admit it... he had enjoyed it. He clenched his eyes shut,  
shaking his head. "How?" he asked, confused.  
  
Remembering that Mara was cute was simple. She _was_ cute.  
But enough for him to simply abandon Belldandy? Not _that_ cute. No  
one was.  
  
And still, somewhere, some part of him... was glad that it  
had happened. And that part frightened him most of all.  
  
***  
  
Urd restrained herself forcibly, remembering to respect the  
Lady -- and that the doublet system made destroying Mara a bad  
idea... Beat her within an inch of her life, then.  
  
Megumi seemed distant, though she couldn't know the  
specifics yet. The vagaries, perhaps... and that might be enough.  
"Is my bro..." she caught herself, shaking her head for a moment as  
the two personalities continued to mesh. "Is Keiichi okay? And  
Belldandy?"  
  
Sighing, Urd shook her head. "He'll be fine," she mumbled.  
"Just... needs some time to recover." Her thoughts turned to  
Belldandy, who had recovered shortly after Keiichi left and  
immediately busied herself in the kitchen. As if summoned, she  
returned, seemingly composed, bearing a tray of teacups and a small  
kettle of tea.  
  
She smiled brightly at Urd, offering a cup of tea, which the  
eldest of the three sisters accepted, wondering what to say. That  
Belldandy would forgive it, she had no doubt. Keiichi had obviously  
been spelled when Mara had...  
  
Cutting that line of thought short, she cleared her throat.  
"What happened to Keiichi was probably just to throw us off... if  
the Lady's awake, then so is her brother. He's probably searching  
for the Once and Future King before we can."  
  
Megumi nodded knowingly. "This is too true -- ever he  
would..." she struggled for a moment, one mode of speech wrestling  
with another. "You're right. He would do that. I'm... We should find  
the Once and Future King, and then decide what we need to do from  
there."  
  
At a questioning look from Belldandy, Megumi added, "It's  
not that I have no concern for Keiichi, it's just... we have little  
time to act. I'm sorry..."  
  
Belldandy shook her head, saying, "It's not a problem. I...  
I need to speak with Keiichi..." She rose, bowing slightly to Megumi  
again, and disappeared down the hall, gathering up the completed  
scarf in passing.  
  
***  
  
Pocketing the scarf carefully, Belldandy made a note to  
present it to Keiichi soon. Leaving it in her pocket would make it  
seem as though she had allowed her affection to Keiichi to waver,  
and it hadn't, so she didn't want to let him think it had.  
  
Sighing thoughtfully, she paused before the door to the  
furo. Keiichi... She pushed the memories of he and Mara away,  
dismissing them as unimportant. She only needed to wait a moment  
before Keiichi opened the door, his eyes widening at Belldandy's  
presence. "Um..." he began, nervously, his eyes searching about  
wildly, unable to remain on her. Clad only in his jeans, his hair  
still wet, he cast about, mumbling, "I'm sorry..."  
  
"Keiichi?" she asked, wondering how much things between them  
had fallen apart.  
  
"Er..." He dropped his head, intent on inspecting his toes.  
"Yes, Belldandy?"  
  
She smiled. At least he hadn't tried to call her anything  
less personal. "Keiichi, I wanted to tell you... tell you that I  
trust you."  
  
"Um..."  
  
"I know... I know what happened. And... it's okay, Keiichi.  
I trust you, and more importantly... Keiichi?"  
  
He looked up at the questioning tone in her voice, flinching  
when he met her eyes. "Yes?" he managed, not looking away.  
  
Belldandy gently clasped his hands, trying to project all of  
the affection she could to him, and he relaxed very slightly. "I  
love you, Keiichi." He blinked, mouth opening silently, but she  
shook her head, silencing him. "I will always love you, Keiichi. For  
now, and forever." Still not giving him time to speak, she leaned  
forward, and very gently placed a kiss on his forehead. "Always  
remember that."  
  
She released his hands and stepped back, her smile widening  
as her own gaze dropped to the floor, and she faintly blushed.  
"Keiichi... Keiichi is wonderful to me."  
  
He stared at her blankly for a moment, seemingly in shock,  
before he found the impetus to move again, and fumbled briefly in  
one pocket. "Um," he mumbled, "I... Belldandy? I know that, well,  
this isn't really the time for it, but I need to ask you, and if I  
don't do it now, I... I..." He trailed off, shaking nervously, and  
withdrew a hand from his pocket, clenched tightly.  
  
Sinking to his knees, he held his fist out before him, head  
bowed. "Bell... Belldandy, will you marry me?"  
  
She clasped his fist in her hand, and he released his grip,  
a simple gold band falling into her hand. "Oh!" she breathed,  
flustered. Maybe things wouldn't need to be patched up that much.  
"Of course, Keiichi!"  
  
He raised his head, his eyes meeting hers, and he smiled.  
"I... I... I love... I love you too, Bell-chan."  
  
She shook her head in wonder, inspecting the band as she  
slipped it on. It fit perfectly. "Where did you get this?" she  
asked, not remembering him gathering it from her memories of the  
events she had recovered from his mind.  
  
"Oh," he chuckled, climbing to his feet again. "I, ah...  
grabbed that earlier today, you know..."  
  
***  
  
She glanced to one side, seeing the younger of her elder  
sisters return, Keiichi in tow.  
  
Skuld smiled happily, remembering only after a moment to  
hide her smile. She whispered to Urd, while Megumi concentrated,  
sifting through her older memories still, "Urd! See? He can't do  
anything to us -- and what he tries, just brings us closer  
together!"  
  
Urd stared at her for a moment, then raised an eyebrow and  
glanced at Belldandy and Keiichi, holding hands nervously. There was  
a glint of metal from Belldandy's hand, and all of Urd's attention  
was swept from Skuld's odd behavior. Never mind that her youngest  
sister was not actively interfering, Belldandy and Keiichi... "Oh,"  
she murmured back to Skuld, hoping that the announcement could wait  
until after they had managed to resolve their current situation,  
"that's very true, Skuld. That's very, very true."  
  
Megumi glanced at Belldandy, then studied Keiichi more  
thoroughly. "Are you okay, Keiichi?"  
  
"I've been better," he said after a moment, though only  
after a reassuring squeeze of Belldandy's hand, he amended, "but not  
much. What's going on? Why are you dressed like that, and what's  
with the marks on your face?"  
  
Nodding, Megumi explained, "It's a very long story,  
Keiichi... one that I don't have time to explain completely, right  
now. I, and my servants, must locate someone. The way is hidden, and  
couched in riddles... we need to find him before I will have enough  
time to explain."  
  
Keiichi grinned boldly, releasing Belldandy's hand and  
cocking his head to one side. "Need my help?"  
  
Megumi nodded solemnly, and Urd sighed in relief at  
Keiichi's easy acceptance of the situation. "Yes," Megumi explained  
slowly, "we don't know his name, though there's normally a pattern  
in these. I am going to try and access Yggdrasil, and locate a  
pointer to him."  
  
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, and a soft glow  
formed about her. After a moment, she spoke, though the voice was no  
longer wholly Megumi's, "There lives a boy, and he is the recipient  
of both a Fate and a Destiny... Fated to change the world, Destined  
to die. His name is as in the days of Caliburn, though the blade  
will bear a new name in this age. His home is on the sea, in a place  
of protection and assistance for generations." She opened her eyes,  
quirking her lips in a smile. "That was easy... now we simply have  
to decipher the riddle."  
  
Keiichi blinked, he and Belldandy taking seats at the table  
to consider things, Keiichi sitting between Megumi and Belldandy.  
"Uh... well," he began, tapping his chin thoughtfully, "what's  
'Caliburn'?"  
  
Megumi frowned, shrugging, "That's simple. Caliburn is  
another name for Excaliber, the sword of King Arthur Pendragon."  
  
"Pen..." Keiichi seemed to wrestle with that for a moment.  
"Okay, okay... The movie we watched last night, right?"  
  
"In a small sense... yes."  
  
Sighing, Keiichi shook his head. "Okay, well, I don't get  
the rest of it... but I think I get the other part. The city on the  
sea -- that's Sasebo, right?"  
  
All four women blinked at that, staring at Keiichi. Megumi  
found her voice first, "How... why do you say that?"  
  
Keiichi grinned, waving his hand dismissively. "It's  
nothing," he explained, "just that the kanji for 'protection',  
'assistance', and 'generation' can spell out Sasebo, and it's a port  
city. Doesn't that put it on the ocean?" At their stares, he  
shrugged defensively, "I did a report on it a few years ago, in high  
school..."  
  
The women shared a glance, then a mutual nod. "That's where  
we need to go," pronounced Skuld.  
  
Megumi rose. "We should be departing soon, then. The name  
will have to be puzzled out when we get there."  
  
Keiichi blinked, shaking his head. "Wait, Sasebo? That's  
going to take a while to get there, I mean..."  
  
He trailed off at a shaking of Megumi's head. "It is... not  
likely to be safe for you there, Keiichi. We will go without you."  
  
"But, what if something happens?" he protested.  
  
The women shared a nervous glance, and shook their heads in  
unison. "You're much better off here," Urd assured him. "We can't be  
hurt, but... you can."  
  
He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned darkly.  
"Fine," he grumbled.  
  
***  
  
Holding hands in a circle with the other women, Megumi put  
Keiichi out of her mind. He was not Fated or Destined that _she_  
knew of, and couldn't possibly be worth Destiny's time to conceal...  
he would be in no danger as long as he stayed within the temple.  
  
The three sisters united their wills, and in a flash of  
light, were elsewhere. The king's Fate was tenuous -- giving him the  
sword might not be enough. Destiny would attempt to thwart them at  
costs.  
  
Megumi lowered her hands, the goddesses doing the same, and  
studied her surroundings. Below her, Sasebo was spread out, the last  
vestiges of sunlight fading from the sky as the stars emerged.  
  
***  
  
Keiichi smiled slightly, his back to the women as he left  
the room, walking into the temple's back yard. "So sorry," he said  
softly, feeling them depart, "that you couldn't rest longer. Mara,  
come."  
  
In a flash of darkness, she was summoned, and standing at  
his side, looking at the temple behind him warily. "Master?" she  
asked worriedly. "Is something wrong?"  
  
He shook his head. "No, but they will have felt you being  
summoned. They will sense my next move as well... Mara, I wish you  
to go to Sasebo and make certain that you are prepared for their  
arrival. When the time comes, I will lend you my power for a seal."  
  
Mara nodded, and Keiichi reached out a hand, gently stroking  
the side of her face. "I will have completely subsumed this form's  
persona soon. When that happens, I can no longer hide within and  
forge his memories."  
  
Leaning into his touch, Mara sighed, "Will it last long  
enough?"  
  
Merely grinning, Keiichi commented, "It had better. They  
rush themselves, not realizing that they lend me clues... Tell me,  
Mara, what would the name of 'five dragons' be in this age?"  
  
Mara blinked, considering. "Tatsugo? Fifth dragon?"  
  
Keiichi raised an eyebrow. "Or Pendragon, in an older  
tongue. Yes, that sounds correct. There should be another clue  
first, though. Another name?"  
  
Furrowing her eyebrows, Mara searched, her programs delving  
deep into the abyss to scan through the records her kind held there.  
They were _all_ open to her, now that Destiny was back. "There's...  
a Tatsugo Sannosuke in Sasebo... and he has a friend named Mizuumino  
Choji."  
  
"Well, well..." Keiichi's grin widened. "Choji, hmm? I think  
that Sannosuke is the King, and unless I miss my mark, Mizuumino  
would be his Lancelot. Excellent."  
  
Mara nodded, focusing more on Keiichi than either of the  
names. "You... want me to go to Sasebo now?"  
  
Keiichi nodded. "Indeed. I will go with you. Don't worry  
about the boy, just... my sister and her servants. You will know  
what to do and when to do it."  
  
She nodded dutifully, stealing one last kiss from her master  
before departing.  
  
***  
  
Sannosuke paused in the middle of the road, one hand  
instinctively going to his bokken. At his side, Choji did the same,  
each of them scanning in a different direction.  
  
"Something feels... wrong," Choji said softly.  
  
Sannosuke nodded. "I know what you mean," he responded. "I  
keep getting this feeling..."  
  
Both of them turned to face the end of the road, suddenly  
dimming as the streetlights near the next intersection flickered,  
then turned out. "Oh, man..." Choji muttered, his hand compulsively  
tightening around the handle of his blade and then releasing it.  
"That can't be good."  
  
"Just a power failure," the other boy reasoned. "Now let's  
hurry before it gets _really_ dark."  
  
Choji grunted, striding forward slowly. He wasn't sure why,  
but the impulse to protect his friend suddenly rose within him --  
odd, since Sannosuke was perfectly capable of taking care of  
himself.  
  
The darkness before them seemed to coalesce into a pair of  
forms, one of them a woman, glancing briefly at the boys, then away.  
The other scanned about himself, seemingly unconcerned as the lights  
flickered back on, banishing the darkness, but not the dark man or  
woman. The woman sighed, walking away quickly with a fond glance at  
the man.  
  
The man seemed as though he was made of the night itself,  
refusing to be clearly illuminated even beneath the streetlights. He  
glanced at the boys, a long fall of jet-black hair hanging from his  
head to swing slightly with the suddenness of his motion. Smiling  
slowly, he raised a hand towards them. "Boys," he commanded, "give  
me your names."  
  
Choji spoke first, "I'm... I'm Yamamoto Daisuke, and this is  
my friend, Hamada Kintaro. Is something wrong?"  
  
The man grimaced distastefully, and shook his head. "Nothing  
to concern either of you... put away your weapons." And with that,  
he vanished, disappearing into the night that had seemingly given  
him up in the first place.  
  
Sannosuke glanced at Choji, both boys surprised to see that  
they had indeed armed themselves. "What was that about?" Sannosuke  
asked. "Why did you lie?"  
  
Choji put his bokken away, shaking his head. "I have no  
idea," he admitted. "It just seemed like a really good idea."  
  
For a long moment, Choji was afraid that Sannosuke would  
criticize him for his lie, but the other boy shook his head,  
muttering, "Yeah, that was creepy. I can't blame you. Let's hurry  
home."  
  
***  
  
Mara trailed the goddesses warily, wondering what to do --  
and when. The goddesses were all too busy looking for the Once and  
Future King to notice her -- as long as she kept her distance.  
  
Even providing that the power between the two opposing  
forces, Fate and Destiny, should be matched... Mara was no counter  
for the three sisters combined, let alone their might with Fate  
added. Destiny would probably be able to stop the sisters, and could  
counter Fate... but both at once? It seemed hopeless.  
  
Mara sighed, watching as the quartet of goddesses strode  
into a large circular courtyard, ringed in ancient iron lampposts.  
  
From the other direction, a pair of boys were approaching --  
boys that Mara dimly remembered from seeing when Destiny had shifted  
them both through space... Her jaw dropped, as she realized the  
significance. There was a circular fountain in the center of the  
courtyard, a perfect circle of stone, and...  
  
Fate was about to win this one -- the boy, whichever was the  
King, would receive his blade there, whatever he would name it. The  
goddesses stopped to confer, and Mara saw something beyond the  
simplicity of the water and stone.  
  
A circle of iron. Rules were rules, after all... Alighting  
on a rooftop, she extended one hand towards the circle of iron  
within the stone. Circles could amplify her power just enough -- if  
her master truly _would_ lend her the power...  
  
Preparing herself, she cast out, setting the ward that  
defined the circle as an impenetrable prison.  
  
The goddesses reacted swiftly, countering with their own  
forces to easily shatter her ward, but... but it didn't shatter, and  
she knew by the dizzying rush of power through her that her master  
had indeed trusted her enough to allow her to use it.  
  
***  
  
Keiichi grinned, unable to help himself. Mara was using his  
power, so must have found something. He allowed himself to slide  
through the night to her side, and glanced about warily. The streets  
were oddly deserted, except for his sister, the goddesses... and the  
two boys he had seen earlier. The goddesses and his sister were  
separated from he and Mara by a wall of power, a ward thinner than  
paper, but strong enough to stop the goddesses.  
  
The boys had lied -- that much was obvious now. But he could  
hardly fault them for a survival instinct. Better, Mara had proven  
herself loyal and worthy of his trust. He hadn't thought she would  
be untrustworthy, but what little fear he had once had of that had  
vanished.  
  
The goddesses stared at him in shock, speaking in one voice,  
"Keiichi?"  
  
He snorted, shaking his head. The boys had stopped some  
distance behind him, doubtlessly unnerved by his presence. "No," he  
said softly, "I am Destiny, once known as Justine."  
  
Feeling the betrayal washing from each of them was more than  
reward enough -- they had known. They had to have known. There were  
more than enough signs, as much as he had tried to hide it, save...  
they hadn't _wanted_ to see the truth. "There is no 'Keiichi', not  
as you have known him."  
  
He spared a momentary glance towards the boys, summoning a  
thing of shadows and nightmare to dispatch them, and then ignoring  
them again. "There never was. I am all that has ever been." He took  
a moment to savor their expressions, ignoring the sound of the  
struggles behind him.  
  
Skuld, her eyes moist with unshed tears, her expression  
warring with anger and contempt. He had wormed his way into her  
heart, little as she would want to admit it, and then reveled  
himself to be _worse_ than she had ever thought of him.  
  
Urd was upset... for her sister, of course, but more so with  
herself. Urd had been _his_ servant before her ultimate betrayal, an  
incarnation and hundreds of years in the past. She should have known  
more than anyone, and wanted so for her sister to be happy that she  
did nothing.  
  
And Megumi, so confused, her integration much less...  
planned than his. Her awakening had been disorienting, struggling to  
deal with the sudden coexistence of two personae, where he merely  
had to reacquire a lost part of himself. But he had been  
manipulating events from his dream, having intended this day to come  
from hundreds of years ago, when he willingly cast himself to  
oblivion.  
  
And Belldandy... simply offering him a forlorn look. Could  
she not believe it, still? Could she possibly hope that somehow it  
was only a passing thing? He was torn between labeling her a  
hopeless romantic, and just plain hopeless. "Hmm," he drawled  
slowly, savoring the moment, and taking control of the ward from  
Mara, leaving her to drift to his side, obviously drained from the  
effort. "What to do... what to do..."  
  
***  
  
Sannosuke and Choji stepped back, not fully comprehending  
what was transpiring before them.  
  
The man simply looked at them for a moment, and then away,  
and in that instant, there was a rushing sensation of...  
something... and from the night itself, cloaked in deepest shadow,  
lined with glowing red eyes, as though it had stepped out of deepest  
nightmare, some apparition stood before them. Beyond that, it was  
silhouetted against the lamplight, too many limbs covered with  
jagged contusions and barbed points...  
  
Both boys had their weapons ready in an instant, neither of  
them using their practiced kendo stances, but older, more familiar  
stances.  
  
Choji led in, baiting in the creature, and Sannosuke  
followed a half-heartbeat behind, striking at the thing's eyes while  
it was over-extended. It howled noiselessly, as the boys withdrew,  
Choji nursing a gash along his forearm, eyes bright with intensity.  
  
They shared a nod, and this time Sannosuke led the charge,  
moving in from the creature's new blind spot.  
  
***  
  
Urd watched, knowing that the wall of force before her  
couldn't hold them forever... but it could hold them. For an hour,  
perhaps longer... but long enough. And behind that wall, Keiichi --  
no, she told herself, _Destiny_ -- mocked them, not even bothering  
to see that the King was dispatched, instead watching them, smirking  
to himself.  
  
But she could find nothing to say -- nothing to _do_ that  
could change the situation. The boy her sister had fallen in love  
with had never _been_. Nothing more than a passing moment, a mask...  
something designed to deceive them.  
  
His eyes turned to her, mirth draining from them completely,  
and seeming to ignite with anger. "And you," he muttered, grimacing.  
"You should have known. You should have known that you could never  
_hope_ to betray me, and escape unscathed."  
  
"Bastard," she spat, crossing her arms over her chest  
angrily. "This is _why_ I betrayed you. You can't see beyond your  
own selfish needs." He shrugged, seemingly unaffected by her words.  
Urd spared a momentary glance behind him, at the two boys, fighting  
whatever horror he had allowed to emerge... and slowly winning.  
Perhaps... perhaps if she were to stall him...  
  
"Does it hurt, Urd? Does it hurt to be betrayed?"  
  
"You're damn right it hurts, you _idiot_!"  
  
He grinned sardonically, "So you know how I felt when you  
betrayed me, damning your own _sister_ to centuries of being alone?"  
  
Urd gaped, not having considered it before. "But," she  
managed, struggling to find the words she needed, "I..."  
  
Mara sneered, shaking her head, and wrapping her arms about  
herself, shivering. "'The needs of the many outweigh the needs of  
the one', Urd?"  
  
Urd frowned nodding. "Well... yes."  
  
Keiichi snorted, turning away from her to face Skuld.  
  
"And you," he mused, looking directly at her. "What about  
you?"  
  
She grumbled, shaking her head. "I should never have trusted  
you at all," she muttered.  
  
"No, you shouldn't have. Ironic now, for all of the pain and  
trouble you caused 'Keiichi', you get this as repayment." Growling,  
she raised her hammer, causing him to laugh. "I think not, Child. If  
you damage me, you damage your precious 'Lady', don't you?"  
  
Swearing an oath vile enough to make Urd glance her way, she  
threw down her hammer. "I hate you!" she declared. "I'll never  
forgive you!"  
  
"That's too bad," he said sarcastically, drawing Mara to him  
with one arm. "Because it makes no difference to me whatsoever."  
  
Leaving Skuld to tremble in inarticulate rage, he turned his  
attention to Megumi.  
  
***  
  
"Ah," he murmured to her, "your rage is oh-so-sweet, like a  
fine wine to be savored." He grinned sardonically, "I promised I  
would wreak my vengeance upon you, 'dearest sister.' And now... I  
have."  
  
She bowed her head in defeat. "This contest... you won, my  
brother. You won." She gathered some of her lost bearing, unshed  
tears glimmering in her eyes. "You always win."  
  
"As long as I win, this contest can never end." He paused  
for a moment, as if considering. "Do you know," he commented, "I  
would have let you win... had you asked? But no... you had to attack  
me. You had to make _her_," he gestured at Urd, "betray me."  
  
She shook her head slowly, the tears trickling down her  
cheeks slowly. "But, it's not the way things were supposed to be,"  
she protested. "I... I thought..."  
  
He shook his head, dismissing her. "It is of no import. My  
vengeance is come, and will not be halted."  
  
Belldandy stepped forward, shaking her head slowly.  
"Keiichi," she warned, "look behind you."  
  
Urd sword loudly at that, hissing, "Belldandy!"  
  
***  
  
He snorted derisively, as Mara broke free to look behind  
him. No matter if the thing of nightmares and shadows was killed by  
mere children, they didn't have the proper sword, and couldn't stand  
against _him_. Aside from which, he had destroyed many Kings when  
they _did_ have their blades.  
  
But... why had she warned him? He felt the faint surge at  
the edges of his perception that warned of an attack. He turned in  
time to see one of the boys behind him, raising his bokken  
menacingly.  
  
"What," he asked, "makes you think that will harm me?"  
  
The boy yelled loudly, smashing his bokken down across  
Keiichi's head.  
  
Keiichi made no move to respond, as the wooden blade was  
reduced to fragments, shards, and then dust, long before it ever  
touched him. Shaking his head slowly, Keiichi frowned. "Boy," he  
warned, "I am Destiny. I am a force of entropy. No mere wooden blade  
can ever hope to harm me." He raised a hand, drawing his power to  
himself, and the boy -- the King, Urd decided belatedly --  
steadfastly stood his ground, not budging. "I will kill you," he  
commented, "it's just a matter of when." The dark power of entropy-  
made-force wreathed his hand, crackling darkly. The boy's companion  
growled low in his throat, but dropped his weapon to clamp one hand  
over a spreading spot of redness in his side.  
  
"Keiichi!" Belldandy called to him, and he ignored the boy,  
who still made no move to run, instead tending his wounded ally, as  
the Concept turned to look at her.  
  
"Yes, Belldandy?" he asked her, smiling sardonically once  
more. "Are you going to tell me that you can still forgive me, even  
after all of this? That you think that somehow this can be undone?"  
He shook his head, laughing softly. "Are you that trusting and  
innocent, even now?"  
  
***  
  
Belldandy stepped to the very edge of the ward, smiling  
wanly. "No, Keiichi... I wanted to give you this." She reached into  
the pocket in the front of her dress, and produced the scarf she had  
woven for him.  
  
He stared at her dumbly for a moment. "Is this some kind of  
joke?"  
  
She shook her head, holding it towards the edge of the ward.  
"No, Keiichi. I made it for you. It... It's cold in the Abyss, so I  
hear. I don't want you to be cold."  
  
Urd felt her jaw drop, as Skuld and Megumi joined her in  
gawking at Belldandy. Even Keiichi was stunned, his eyes widened.  
"What? How... how long have you... you knew I was Destiny?" he  
asked, panic tingeing his voice.  
  
Belldandy nodded, pressing her hand against the unyielding  
ward. The thin, shimmering plane of force rebuked her touch,  
stinging her hand like nettle, but she persisted, still pushing  
forward. Her voice wavering at the pain as she continued, she said,  
"Of course I knew, Keiichi. I always knew."  
  
A tear slipped from her eyes, and she managed a smile, still  
trying to give him the scarf. "How?" he asked, struggling with  
something internally, seemingly left speechless and insensate.  
  
"It doesn't matter to me, Keiichi," she stated, tears  
flowing freely, making no headway against the barrier that confined  
her, and not giving up despite that. "I said I will love you  
forever... and I still mean it."  
  
Stunned, Keiichi staggered back half a step, the ward  
wavering briefly before collapsing outright, leaving Belldandy to  
pitch forward, colliding with Keiichi's chest. He put his arms  
around her belatedly, shaking his head. "How... how can you love me,  
after everything I've done to hurt you? How? It's... it's not  
possible..." he said, blinded to the reality of the situation. "Even  
you... even you have to hate me!"  
  
Megumi ignored him, rushing to the boys, and trailed by  
Skuld. Urd tried to tell herself to move -- to run after her Lady,  
but couldn't, completely transfixed by the events transpiring before  
her. "Love doesn't need a reason, Keiichi," Belldandy whispered,  
kissing him once on the lips, and then stepping away, leaving the  
scarf in his hands.  
  
He stared at scarf, eyes wide, and shook his head slowly,  
snapping his attention to Mara's sudden scream of anguish. The  
demoness fled, unable to watch further, and Keiichi growled, "No! I  
cannot let you deceive me so!" He raised one hand, free of the  
scarf, and prepared a blast of energy that could easily destroy  
Belldandy even with her most powerful of wards. The crackling energy  
wreathed his hands, the stuff of chaos and destruction. Something  
that could hurt _any_ of them aside from Keiichi.  
  
Megumi spun, raising her hands to ward against Keiichi's  
attack. Urd cursed herself, still frozen and unable to assist her  
Lady, but Belldandy shook her head, smiling lovingly into Keiichi's  
eyes, completely unafraid. "A goddess can't lie, Keiichi. You know  
that."  
  
The energy faded, and Keiichi was left to stare blankly  
again. "No..." he whispered, shaking his head. "Mara!" Summoned, the  
demoness reappeared, seemingly stunned herself. Not giving her  
enough time to react, he wrapped an arm about her, and in an  
implosion of shadow... was gone.  
  
***  
  
Sannosuke stared at the women who studied Choji gravely.  
"Well?" Sannosuke asked after a moment. "What happens next?"  
  
One of the women smiled, meeting Sannosuke's eyes. "I come  
to bear you your weapon to use in this day and age, Tatsugo." She  
placed her hands on Choji, and a rush of water issued from her palms  
to wash across the boy's wounds, washing the blood -- and the wounds  
-- away. "Rise, young one."  
  
Sannosuke relaxed instantly. This one, at least, was kinder  
than the strange, dark man that had vanished with the dark woman...  
leaving them alone with a quartet of women in white. She reached  
towards him, stroking his face gently, and the stinging pain of his  
wounds vanished, leaving him feeling invigorated. "Thank you," he  
murmured, unsure of what else to say.  
  
She smiled softly, and beckoned him to follow her, walking  
to the shallow courtyard fountain. "Now, I give you a new weapon,  
since you have lost your own." So saying, she produced a wooden  
blade from a burst of light in the depths of the fountain. A  
fountain that Sannosuke knew was far too shallow to conceal such a  
thing. "Name this weapon as you see fit."  
  
He stared at the blade, considering, as the other three  
women converged on some point further away, whispering softly and  
worriedly with one another. "I name it... 'Hoshi-no-shinzou'," the  
boy pronounced, ignoring the other women, and replacing his lost  
bokken with the new wooden blade. "Now... can you explain to me just  
what the hell is going on here?"  
  
She laughed lightly. "You're about to meet your Fate,  
Tatsugo..."  
  
------------------------------ 


	7. Epilogue: From Dream to Legend

Fate and Destiny: Epilogue  
  
From Dream to Legend  
  
  
Disclaimer: The paints (A!MG) are the property of Kousuke  
Fujishima, the easel is mine, and that's all.  
  
Notes: It's an alt, as should become apparent shortly, since  
I've read most of the U.S. manga, seen some of the OAVs, and not  
watched the movie.  
  
------------------------------  
  
And so it came to pass that, this time, the Once and Future  
King did not meet his Destiny until his Fate was fulfilled.  
  
Where before the legends always stated that he was borne  
away by three sisters, this time, he was led into the darkness  
beyond the mortal realm by a man, and two women.  
  
The women were both exceedingly fair, one light, the other  
dark, and walked on each side of the man. The first had a gown of  
purest black, contrasting the second's stark white, and the man's  
stoic gray. The man, while not great of stature, was great in  
presence, seemingly unstoppable, yet restrained, and made no move to  
force the King's passing, until he was ready.  
  
And when he led the King away, the man paused, on the  
threshold of something that no mortal eye could discern, and looked  
back, and smiled. His flowing black hair rippled in a breeze that  
could not be felt by any save himself, and the King, and he shook  
his head solemnly, bowing respectfully to the women, and vanishing.  
  
Seemingly full of sadness, the women led the King away.  
  
While later manuscripts all disagreed on most minor details,  
they all agreed on one thing. The man, for all of his gray  
formality, wore a colorful scarf, waving in the wind along with his  
hair before he departed.  
  
  
End, Fate and Destiny.  
  
------------------------------  
  
Translations:  
Chapter titles:  
  
Dormio Animus -- Soul to sleep (Slumbering spirits)  
Suscitatio -- Awakening  
Infirme Conscius -- Weak consciousness (Faint awareness)  
Plene Evigilo -- To awaken completely  
Inchoatus Ludus -- Only begun/unfinished game (First  
move/End game)  
  
Other:  
  
'Hoshi-no-shinzou' -- Star Heart (Heart of the Star)  
Tatsugo -- Fifth dragon  
Mizuumino -- 'Of the lake'  
'World Ash' -- archaic term for Yggdrasil.  
  
The Heart of the Star is (I think) the name of the sword  
that Amatseru bore in Japanese mythos. Fifth dragon is Pendragon,  
while 'of the lake' is a not-subtle-at-all reference to Lancelot.  
World Ash mostly just was thrown in for flavor.  
  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
Ah... this one came much more clumsily than I had  
intended... I hope it works.  
  
Errata, for those of you familiar with In Nomine, I am not,  
so _that_, whatever it is, has no relevance to this. That I know of.  
  
Beyond that... How did it end? That's, unfortunately, a  
question you generally have to answer for yourself.  
  
I can tell you what _I_ think, but with a story like this,  
my opinion (even as the author) is not an absolute.  
  
That being said, I think that, however it worked out, they  
found happiness, and love with one another. And that's what's  
important, in the end. Being happy and loved... what more is there?  
  
So mote it be. 


End file.
